


Check Your Mate!

by EpsilonMk46, OmegaUltra



Category: Amphibia (Cartoon)
Genre: Complete, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2020-09-26 11:46:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20389186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EpsilonMk46/pseuds/EpsilonMk46, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmegaUltra/pseuds/OmegaUltra
Summary: It's that time of the year again for the residents of Wartwood, and Sprig is finally able to join in on the festivities. But when a certain blue magician reminds them of the deal they failed to officially end, Sprig enlists the help of his dear friend Ivy to help him out. But things don't go as smoothly as he'd hoped, in more ways than one.





	1. That Time Of The Year

**Author's Note:**

> A/N From Omega: Hi guys, yes, I know I said I probably wouldn’t write another M-rated fic yesterday, but this story’s been in production for about 2 weeks before I started writing that last one! Also, this story’s a collab with a good friend of mine, EpsilonMk46! I hope you guys enjoy! 
> 
> A/N From Epsilon: Hey, hey, people! Welcome to my very first venture into stories based on Amphibia ever! ….And it’s M-rated because of course I’d pick that avenue to tackle with my first story regarding this show. XD 
> 
> Anyways, I’d just like to say that it is truly a pleasure to finally be working with Omega on a project and I just feel truly grateful and honored that he entrusted me with some chapters of this tale. But that’s enough from me. I’ll see you guys in my chapter next time!

Chapter 1: That Time Of The Year 

*Yawn* “What a night,” she slowly turned in her bed, trying to face the open window in her room. After spending the past three months in Amphibia, she began to enjoy turning and finding the light of the morning sun radiating into her room. _ “All right, here we-“ _ she started... only to find herself stuck by a weight resting on top of her. _ “The heck?” _

Panic began to fill her body as she immediately opened her eyes, allowing a certain red frog to come into view. “What the?!” she rushed out of bed with that, causing her to stumble and fall out of it, landing face-first on the floor soon after. “Ugh…” 

Sprig immediately jumped up from the bed and raised his hand to greet her. “Hi Anne!” His voice held the notes while his eyes opened wide, almost as if he was more excited than usual to see his human friend. 

The young woman quickly fought with her bedsheets before rushing to her feet, her face now red in frustration. “Sprig?! What the heck?!” She flared her arms, before dusting herself off. “Don’t scare me like that!”

Immediately, the frog boy threw his arms around her, pulling her into a small hug. “Oh, I’m sorry Anne, it’s just… I was feeling really lonely and well… I just wanted to know if I could sleep with you.”

_ “Huh… weird,” _ Anne’s frustrated frown slowly softened into a smile. _ “Well… as much as he startled me, I can’t stay mad at him,” _ she ran her hand through his hat. “Heh alright I guess… though I don’t think it’d be a good idea right now. I mean, it’s sunny outside!” 

Sprig’s gaze fell downcast. “Oh…” before immediately perking up, with his eyes widening once more. “Well then, how about tonight? That way we can spend the whole night together!” He let go of Anne and waved his arms for emphasis.

“Sure Sprig,” she replied, before stretching, giving him a pat on the head and heading upstairs to get ready for the day. Wordlessly, she made her way to the bathroom, which at this point a glorified outhouse. Though it took some work, Anne and Hop Pop were eventually able to get some water flowing into a makeshift sink, without the need for someone to keep pumping. “_ Man, Sprig seemed a bit more… affectionate than usual,” _ she grabbed a towel and a stick she had wilted into a toothbrush. _ “But hey, who can blame him?” _ and with that, she began to brush. _ “All right, just gotta gargle some water and-“ _

Yet, before she could finish her thought, a dull pain rushed through her abdomen, forcing her to move her left hand to hold it. _ “What the?! Cramps?!” _ Her eyes went wide, as she felt a warm liquid beginning flow out from her bottom. _ “Oh no…” _ she thought, before she found herself falling to her knees and shouting. “AAAAHHHHHH!!!”

“What’s going on?!” Polly immediately rushed over to the outhouse and threw open the door, with Sprig and Hop Pop following soon after.

“Ugh,” the young woman groaned, doubling over in pain.

“Anne!” The young girl hopped over and jumped in front of her, frantically waving her hands as she did so. “What’s going on?! Are you hurt?! Why are you bleeding?!” She motioned towards her pelvis.

“It’s nothing!” Anne cried out, before she forced her back against the wall, threw the toothbrush in the sink and wiped her tears. “Really, I’m totally fine!”

“My butt it’s nothing!” Hop Pop came over and scooped the young woman in her arms, before rubbing her back softly. “There, there, it’s fine, you’re gonna be all right. Now just tell me how you hurt yourself.”

The human girl wiped her tears before looking away in embarrassment. “It’s nothing, really Hop Pop… It’s… nothing.”

“Then why don’t you tell us then? Or else I’m gonna rush over and beat up whatever parasite thought it could make you it’s home!” Polly raised her tiny flippers, seemingly trying to flex them.

Anne paused, her face getting red in embarrassment. _ “There’s no getting out of this, is there? Dangit… I was able to hide it the first two times, but this time… ugh,” _ she held herself. “Fine, I’ll tell you…” she look away not bothering to release her grip on herself. “It’s that time of the month… I’m having my period.”

“Your what?” Polly tilted her head in confusion. “What’s that?” 

“It’s a very personal thing… human girls have them every month,” her voice began to fill with frustration. “Ugh, they all say it’s natural, that it’s a sign that you’re growing up into a mature woman,” Anne flared her arms, before burying her head in her knees. “The only thing I remember from starting it is how my innocence died,” with that, a young voice cut through her mind. _ “Mommy, mommy, I’m bleeding from my privates!” _she shivered at the thought.

Hop Pop paused for a moment, before stepping over and wrapping her in his arms. “Don’t worry Anne, it’s all right. we understand,” with that he looked into her eyes and smiled, while Sprig came up on her opposite side and did the same. 

“Thanks you guys,” she whispered, allowing them to overtake her. 

_ “Easy now…” _Slowly, Sprig found his hand reaching around Anne to her skirt-covered behind. Then, without warning, he began caressing it.

The young woman’s eyes went wide as she slapped her friend’s hand away. “What the heck Sprig! What’re you doing?!”

Instantly, the boy’s face went red in shock, before he held his arms behind his back and pulled his head in, awkwardly rubbing his foot against the ground soon after. “Sorry about that,” he looked away shamefully. “I don’t know what got into me.” 

*Sigh* “Right… it’s that time of year,” Hop Pop pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mating season’s starting.”

Anne tilted her head. “Mating season?”

“Yes,” Hop Pop grabbed Polly. “It seems that while you have your time of the month, we have our time of the year. “Round this point, the girls-“ 

“I wanna stay innocent to this!” Polly shouted as she covered her arms, much to the surprise of Anne.

_ “Wow, who knew the crazy and bloodthirsty Polly wouldn’t wanna know where babies come from?” _ Anne chuckled, thankfully the initial pain of starting off had dulled out a bit.

“As I was saying, “ Hop Pop turned back to Anne and continued.. “Every year, girl frogs lay eggs which the boys… well turn into tadpoles,” he motioned with his hand. “There are rituals in place in order to guarantee the right person gets the right egg, though I doubt you would like to hear the specifics.”

“You got that right,” Anne rubbed the back of head. 

“I’m sure it’s similar to what you do back in your world, correct? Aside from this… ‘period’ thing,” Hop Pop motioned towards the young woman, who simply replied by rubbing the back of her head.

“Actually, back home we don’t have mating seasons,” she gave a small shrug.

The old man raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh really now? So when do humans come together to make new life?”

She looked away, seemingly ashamed by what she was about to reveal. “Well… really any time really. Human girls… well, once a month we ovulate and boys… play with us until we get pregnant… which means a baby begins to grow inside the girl,” she motioned by making a circle with one hand and putting her finger into the hole. “And well… playing together is fun and stuff, and we don’t know when us girls are ovulating and-”

“Ya know what, I’d rather not find out any more specifics about humans than that, for now at least,” He shook his head. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Nah, I think I’m gonna be fine,” she gave a weak smile. 

Though the old man held a concerned expression, he nodded in understanding. “Very well then,” he grabbed his grandson. “Anyways, this is going to be Sprig’s first year of being able to participate in what’s about to go on.” 

“Yeah!” Sprig flared his arms in excitement, though his reddening face seemed to suggest something else. “Finally, after all these years, I get to have fun with the adults!”  
  
“That sounds cool, ugh,” the young woman began to crawl out of the outhouse. “If anyone needs me, I’ll be in my room,” and with that, Polly watched as she went back in. Quickly she motioned for the house. “I’m gonna go make sure she’s all right.”

“You do that, Polly,” Sprig gave a small smile. “I think I’m gonna go enjoy mating season.”

Immediately his grandfather turned him around. “Sprig!” he poked his chest. “You have to take this seriously. You can’t just go around dropping seeds everywhere and fertilizing eggs! You’ve gotta be careful!”

Sprig waved him off, before turning and walking over to the front door. “Yeah, yeah Hop Pop, I know. Besides, there’s only one girl’s egg I wanna mess with.” His face turned red as the thought flashed across his mind. “Now, let’s go-“ he spoke aloud as he opened the door, only for a certain blue frog with pink hair to appear before him, her mouth held in a bright smile. 

“Hi Sprig,” the young girl greeted. “I brought you something!” Slowly, she pulled out cookie shaped just like him, though it had a threading needle poked through its chest. “Do you like it?” 

“I uhh, do?” The boy’s voice fell uneasy at the sight, though tried his best not to show that fact. 

“Good,” her smile grew wider, before she pulled out a small bag and threw it at the ground, causing a cloud of colored dust to overtake her.

And when it cleared, Maddie was now laying on her side on the ground, with her arm supporting her head while she bent her knee, seemingly trying to seduce him. “Happy Mating Season.”

Immediately, Sprig gulped, before tugging at his collar, his face now turning a shade even redder than before. “Uhh, hi Maddie, what’re you doing here?”

For a moment, Maddie held the smile. “What, don’t you remember?”

The boy shook his head. “Uhh… no… we broke up, remember?”

Maddie paused, before she sighed and climbed back onto her feet. “Fine, I’ll tell you the truth,” she shook her head and held her arm, while her cheeks turned red. “Look, my dad wants me to mate with you still.”

“What?!” Sprig’s eyes went wide, while he flared his arms. “But we broke off the engagement!”

“No…” Maddie shook her head and looked down, seemingly unwilling to look the boy in the eyes. “What you and Anne did was break up with me. None of us actually ever bothered to tell my dad that we broke it off, so now he wants you to do what you what you promised to when Anne asked for that ball of dough.”

“You mean… marry you?!” Sprig’s voice filled with fear.

She shook her head again. “No, no, just mating is fine with him…”

“I see,” Sprig gulped, before he slowly stepped passed the girl, taking care not to break eye contact with her. “Well then Maddie, it looks like I’m gonna have to get back to you on that, how about I uhh… send you a rock or a paper plane thing Anne makes? Bye!” With that, he bolted off, leaving Maddie to sigh and shake her head in reply.

_ “I’m sorry, Sprig…” _ and with that she disappeared in a cloud of magic dust.

** _Meanwhile…_ **

“Ugh,” Anne groaned as she curled up in a ball on her bed. _ “Well this is just great. I’m on period in another world and I have absolutely nothing to work with… You just had to steal that music box, huh?” _

“Hey Anne, how are ya feeling?” Polly stuck her head in her room.

*Ugh* she groaned once more, before raising her thumb. “Never been better!” she then leaned down on her bed, the cramps returning once more. “Just enjoying my body punishing me for not finding a mate and deciding to have a baby this month.”

The young girl paused for a moment, before jumping onto her bed and rubbing Anne’s side. “All right Anne, don’t worry, I’ll help you feel better.”

“Thanks Polly,” she whispered, a soft smile forming on her face, before she broke out crying. “I love you so much!” Then, without warning, she threw her arms around Polly, pulling her into a small embrace  
  
“ _ Note to self, she’s having mood swings _,” the tadpole thought, before hopping out of the young woman’s arms. “All right then, so what do you need?”

Anne wiped a tear from her eyes. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for some of Hop Pop’s leftover gruel.”

For a moment, Polly paused, unsure of just how to respond to what her friend was asking for. “W-what?”

“Don’t question it, please just don’t,” she held her pelvis as another cramp overtook her. “Just go to the kitchen, get the gruel and then shove it in my mouth please… I don’t think I’ll be able to get up like this,” she motioned towards her mouth with her left arm while using her right to hold herself.

“O-ok…” Polly went, before turning and hopping up the stairs. _ “This is so much worse than I thought. We all hate his gruel! So that means that the only way to help Anne get through this is to help her deal with her period!” _ Polly sighed as she grabbed the dish and hopped downstairs. “Anne? How are you?”

Yet, without a word, Anne shot up and snatched the food from Polly, downing it in a single bite. “Man, that hit the spot." 

“Wow… just wow…” Polly’s mouth fell agape with that. 

“Yeah… the joys of being me,” Anne sighed.

Polly stopped for a moment, before shaking her head. “Anne, I don’t wanna see you like this, how can I help you?”

“I don’t know…” she answered. “Back home, I had my friends, my mom to help me through it all. But here? I’m the only human for a thousand miles or something… I don’t know where Marcy is, and Sasha? She’s with Grime, so I doubt I’ll see her…”

“Well then, don’t you worry, because I’m gonna help you out!” The pollywog replied. “Where do we start!?”

Anne sat up with that, before turning to Polly with tear-filled eyes and hugging her. “Oh thank you Polly! Thank you so much!" 

“Heh, no worries, after all, what are friends for?” And with that, Polly returned the embrace.

With that, the young woman put her down. “All right, the first thing we’ve gotta do: find something to control the bleeding.”

The young girl nodded with that. “I’ll go get some leaves!” And with that, she turned and rushed upstairs, leaving Anne to her troubles. 

_ “Please hurry. Back home I used to use pads, but here?” _ she shook her head. _ “Anything will probably help. I just hope I don’t ruin my clothes in the meantime.” _

** _Meanwhile…_ **

_ “Gotta get away, gotta get away! I can’t let her catch me!” _ Sprig’s mind rushed as he found himself bolting down the random forest path he had gone on. _ “Is she chasing me?!” _ he glanced back for just a moment… only for his foot to get caught on a loose tree branch, sending him tumbling to the ground. “Oof!” 

“Ugh…” he groaned, before rubbing his aching head. _ “Is she following me?” _ he glanced back once more, only to find the coast clear for him. With that, he let out a sigh in relief. _ “Phew… I guess she didn’t wanna be bothered with chasing after me after all…” _ he dusted himself off before shaking his head. _ “All right, now that that’s done, I just have to-” _

“Ambush!” A feminine voice cried out, before Ivy jumped from the nearby treetop and tackled the boy to the ground. “Hi Sprig! What’s up?!”

“G’ahh!” He shouted in surprise, before the morning sun revealed his assailant. “Ivy! Phew, am I glad to see you!” He wiped the sweat from his brow. “For a second I thought you were Maddie.”

“Heh, nope, it’s just me!” She grabbed his hand and helped him back onto his feet, before slowly running her hand down and his arm and interlocking her fingers with his. “Why, what’s goin’ on?”

Sprig sighed, though silently enjoying the gesture. “Well, a few months ago, Anne and Maddie’s dad made a deal that he’d give her bread in exchange for me marrying Maddie…” he rubbed his arm in embarrassment. “And the thing is, we broke it off, but never told her dad, so he wants us to mate!”

Instantly, the girl’s face went red, before she raised her arms, though not letting go of Sprig’s hand. “You offered to mate with Maddie?! Why?! I thought we had something special!” Then with her free hand, she slapped Sprig, leaving a red handprint on his cheek.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I deserved that,” he rubbed his face.

“Why’d you even make a stupid deal like that?!” She let go of him and flared her arms in emphasis, before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, though she had to fight the urge to continue moving her hands down his body. 

The boy rubbed his head awkwardly. “Well, you see, uhh… Anne-”

“Doesn’t matter,” Ivy shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We have to find a way to get you out of that deal!”

The boy nodded in reply. “Agreed, but who could help us?” He paused, his mind jumping from idea to idea. “Ivy… do you wanna-”

“Not the time Sprig,” she cut him off, giving him a glare, which immediately softened. No doubt she wished the same as him, though the task at hand took priority.

“Right, right, sorry, mating season hormones,” he rubbed his arm awkwardly, before turning back to Ivy.

She snapped her fingers in reply. “Hmm, what about your grandfather? I’m sure he’s had to deal with something like this before!” 

Sprig rubbed his chin and nodded. “You’re right Ivy! He probably has!”

“Let’s go!” She grabbed his arm, causing Sprig’s face to go red while his heart raced in excitement. _ “This is awesome!” _ And with that, the duo rushed back to the Plantar home.

** _A Few Minutes Later…_ **

“I sure hope this works,” Sprig whispered as he peered into his home, his heart now racing. _ “Maddie’s not that bad… but I just… I don’t wanna be forced to mate with her! I want my first time to be special…” _ he glanced over to his companion. _ “And with Ivy.” _

Then, as if seemingly hearing his thoughts, Ivy pat his back. “Don’t worry Sprig, everything’s gonna be all right!” Before she came up on his side, choosing to peer into the home from below the boy. “And when we get you out of the deal…” she paused, her face getting slightly red. “We can finally spend some time together, right? You know, enjoy mating season like we promised all those months ago?”

_ “Good thing we’re not humans, I wouldn’t want Ivy to suffer like Anne is right now,” _The boy’s face went the same shade of red, before he chuckled the idea off. “Heh, yeah I guess,” and began to scan the living room. “Looks like the coast is clear, no sign of Maddie anywhere,” he breathed a sigh of relief. “Heh, I guess she got bored of waiting for me and decided to do something else.”

“Good, let’s go find your grandpa then!” With that, Ivy rushed in and began to scan the room. “We have to find a way to get you out of that stupid deal Anne made for you!”

“What deal?” Hop Pop carefully stepped out of his room, slowly closing the door behind him as he did so. “And where have you been anyways? You haven’t been doing anything I wouldn’t, right?”

“No, don’t worry, he hasn’t.” she shook her head, before the boy came up from behind and flared his arms, trying to emphasize his point. “Remember that deal Anne made with Chef Flour a few months ago?! Maddie came by trying to call it in!” he rubbed his arm. “So I ran off, but now I don’t know what to do! I don’t wanna mate with her, but I also don’t wanna get my face pounded in by her father!”

Ivy placed her arms on Sprig, though seemingly fighting the urge to continue further. “Is there anything you can do?”

Hop Pop rubbed his chin for a moment. “Hmm… well I dunno. Deals like that are taken pretty seriously around these parts, so I doubt you’re gonna get people to be too sympathetic to your cause,” he snapped his fingers. “But, I might know a way!”

“Really?!” the children went in unison. The old man turned and motioned for them to follow. “Yes, into my study!”

And with that, the trio entered. 

Soon enough, Hop Pop pulled out a book labelled “Mating Rituals and Laws of Amphibia,” and opened it up. “Let’s see here…” he scrolled along with his finger. “What happens if a mate dies, no. What to do if things change? No. Ah-ha! What to do if there is a dispute over mating agreements!”

Sprig and Ivy came up to Hop Pop’s sides as he read aloud.

“In the case where two people wish to mate with the same person, but neither consents to being in a relationship with the other disputant, it is possible to fight for a mate. This takes the form of a series of contests agreed upon by the families of all three participants. When done this way, all contracts held prior to the contest can be treated as null and void!”

“So that means that if Ivy fights Maddie for me, and wins, I won’t have to mate with Maddie?!” The boy’s eyes went wide in realization.

Immediately Ivy’s gaze filled with determination, before she slapped her companion’s back. “Sounds like we know exactly what to do!”

Sprig and Ivy then smiled at each other, before he went. “Thanks so much Hop Pop!”

“No problem!” he went, before slamming the book shut and pushing the two children out of his room. “Now, if you two are gonna be doing what I believe you are, I best prepare. You never know what chaos will occur when you begin to mess with love triangles.”

“Got it, Hop Pop!” Sprig blushed slightly and rubbed his arm. “Thanks so much!”

“No problem. Now go!” Hopidia ordered, before he slammed the door shut behind him. “Phew, that was close.”

“Heh, good thing I know how to hide, dear,” Sylvia chuckled as she through the covers off of her and hopped to her feet. “Do you think it’s gonna go all right?”

Hop Pop shrugged. “Don’t know, but we best get ready.”

“Of course,” the old woman smiled, before pulling him close. “But let’s get weird first, you know how I am.”

The old man smiled in reply, before leaning forward, allowing him to nuzzle her. Then Slyvia pulled out a small cricket, which began chirping, filling the room with music. And with that, the duo began to dance.

A few feet away, Ivy and Sprig stood outside the door, with Sprig taking a few breaths to calm himself down. “All right Ivy, we’re gonna do this. Once Maddie’s done, we can finally enjoy the season like we promised.”

Ivy smiled and nodded. “Yeah, so how about we talk about plans on the way?”

The boy nodded. “Yeah, I guess that works,” he turned and motioned for her to follow. “Come on.”

The girl grabbed him. “Hold on, first,” she then turned him to face her, before pulling him down, placing a small kiss upon his lips. For a moment they held there, before she broke it off. “Alright, now I’m ready.”

Sprig turned red and smiled, before the duo both ran off to find Maddie. 

From ΩU: 9 23-15-14-4-5-18 23-8-15-’12-12 23-9-14

1 13-1-7-9-3-9-1-14 15-18 1 7-9-18-12 23-8-15 6-9-7-8-20-19 20-8-5 13-15-14-19-20-5-18-19

From EMK46: 1-14-4 19-15 20-8-5 1-14-7-19-20 2-5-7-9-14-19 20-8-5-18-5 9-19 14-15 7-21-1-18-1-14-20-5-5 25-15-21 23-9-12-12 2-5 9-13-13-21-14-5 6-18-15-13 6-5-5-12-19


	2. Two Letters And A Frog

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from Epsilon: Alrighty, here we go, folks. I only hope that my entry doesn't contradict with Omega's vision for the story too much. But if it does….I'm sorry, mate. :sweat_smile: In any case, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> A/N from Omega: Welcome back! Here's the next chapter, written by Epsilon!

Chapter 2: Two Letters and a Frog

Within a nearby bush, Ivy and Sprig stood by, as the frog boy peered intensely into the bakery before them, his hat draped over his head and his goggles covering his eyes.

"Okay…" Sprig began, adjusting his goggles. "Maddie should be back right about now," he turned to his companion. "Remember your lines?"

And instead of a reply, he found Ivy scrambling through a couple sheets of paper, each one having hastily scribbled notes on them.

"'Oh, Sprig, I hope to be yours,' blah, blah, blah blah blah, 'I can't bear to see that witch take you away,' okay, okay…" she mumbled to herself.

"Uuhhhh… Ivy?" Sprig inquired with a concerned tone of voice.

"O-Oh!" she yelped, fumbling with her pieces of parchment before looking up at him. "Y-Yep! As ready as I'll ever be!"

"Are you sure? You look kinda… nervous."

"Pffft, _what?_ Nervous?" Ivy pounded her chest and showed off her teeth with a confident smile. "I've gone through the woods and brought back tree-sized slugs! I think I can handle a little memory work."

"W-well, okay then…" Sprig took a breath, before preparing to jump out of the bush.

"... B-But just to be sure…" Ivy squeaked, causing Sprig to stop dead in his tracks. "Do you think that maybe you could go in and I'll follow you in a bit?"

The magenta frog darted around and locked his gaze at her. "Wh-What?! B-but we were supposed to go in together! What am I gonna do alone?!"

"I-I know, but I really just want a bit more time to get ready," she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "This is honestly my first time acting and I want to do the very best I can…"

Sprig looked back at the bakery, and then back at Ivy. Soon after, he began to take notice at how… vulnerable she looked. As if she was afraid to admit that she wasn't sure of herself. And he be darned if he was gonna force into something she wasn't ready for.

"O-Okay… I'll try to distract Maddie and her dad."

Ivy's face lit up. "Oh, thanks a ton, Sprig! I promise I only need two of three minutes."

With a nod, Sprig stepped out of the bush, but not before feeling something grab onto his arm. But before he could even say a word, he felt a pair of lips give him a small smooch on his cheek. Blushing like mad, he turned to see Ivy giving him a warm smile.

"For the sudden change of plans," she chimed, before giving him a wink. "And for good luck." Sprig couldn't help but let out a childish giggle, before he leaped out of the bush and strutted his way into the bakery.

And once he made it to the front door, he swung it open and walked in, taking in the delicious scent of the newly baked bread that had just popped out of the oven. He then looked around to see Chef Flour wielding a spatula, shoveling out yet another batch of bread and piling it with the other loaves. And next to him, huddled up in her familiar dark corner was Maddie herself, doodling away on the back of one of their customers' receipts.

As Sprig made his way around, he decided to prop himself against the stone wall. That's when, seemingly outside of his own free will, his eyes began to gravitate towards Maddie. It was most likely the hormones talking, but he couldn't help but notice that she looked oddly lovely as she worked. Like her hair was somehow glistening in a breeze that wasn't even there. Her fingers looked oddly enticing, like he'd want them to trail themselves all over his body. And last but not least, her succulent lips with a tongue sticking out of them just begging to be-

'_No! No, no, Sprig! Get it together!'_ he scolded himself, grabbing the sides of his head and squirming about, which unfortunately for him, attracted the attention of the blue baker.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't my future grandkids' future father!" he greeted, leaping over his cutting block and walking over to Sprig. "What brings you 'round here?"

"O-Oh! H-Hi, Mr. Flour!" Sprig said, scratching behind his head. "I-I was just coming by toooo..." he found his voice trailing off, his eyes scanning the room, searching for a way out… only to find himself looking straight at Maddie once again, whom by that point had noticed him and was now giving him a wave and a seductive smile. "_Come on Sprig! Think fast!"_

"Iiiiiiii… was here to… ask for advice!" he sputtered out.

"Oh? About what?" the baker raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! W-Well, uhh…" Sprig's words became caught in his mouth, as he frantically searched his mind for an excuse. '_Come on, Ivy! Where are you?!'_ "I wanted to ask for… some mating advice! Hehehehe!"

Once he realized what he'd actually said, he gave himself a mental slap on his frontal lobe, and then realized that Mr. Flour was looking at him quite curiously, while Maddie was staring at him from the corner amorously, her gaze being one that Sprig himself couldn't help but find at least a little bit alluring.

"Why are you asking me about that kinda stuff? Wouldn't you want to ask your Hop Pop?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow and giving Sprig a confused look.

"W-Well, I would," Sprig answered, "but I thought that you had more… experience with Maddie specifically, soo…"

But before he could say another word, he found himself stone cold when Mr. Flour leaned forwards and looked at him with a steely gaze, all while Maddie giggled teasingly in the background.

"Did you just try to say that you think I mated with my own daughter?" he muttered in a dark and menacing voice.

Realizing the implication of his already bizarre request, Sprig sputtered out babbles before composing himself with: "NO! N-N-N-N-N-N-N-No no no no no no! I-I was only saying that you know her better than anyone in Wartwood and I'd be just thrilled to hear what she likes when it comes to what she sees in an ideal romantic setting!"

After that, a moment passed, with Sprig nervously laughing, while Mr. Flour continued to stare at him, albeit with a slightly less threatening demeanor. Sprig clenched his eyes shut, preparing for the worst, only to jump at the sound of very hearty laughter.

"Ha ha! You really are the charmer she said you were, my boy!" the baker laughed, smacking Sprig on his back before pulling him to his side and poking his chest with the spatula. "Well, one thing I would have to mention is that she adores dark and moody settings. And the water would have to be glistened by these gorgeous mushrooms you can only find near the Toad Tower. And after that, you could-"

That was all Sprig could comprehend before his mind started to wander off back to Ivy. '_Please, Ivy! Pleeeaaaasseee!'_ he mentally pleaded, before hearing a crash come from the door, causing everyone to dart their heads towards it. And now, standing in front of the door was Ivy, who looked like she was trying way too hard to appear exhausted.

"Stop right there!" she screamed, exuberantly flailing her arms around. "I will not stand by and let this vile agreement continue!"

"I-Ivy?!" Sprig exclaimed, playing his part in the role. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I've come to stop this unholy union between you and Maddie!" she responded, before falling to her knees and crawling towards him with her hands clasped, seemingly begging for him. "Because I love you, Sprig! I've loved you my entire life, and I NEED you to mate with me!"

Sprig found himself recoiling a bit from the over-the-top nature of Ivy's performance. '_Heh, well, acting has never been her strong suit. Oh well, just gotta roll with it,' _he raised his arm over his forehead, trying to appear distraught. "But Ivy! I can't! I am bound by our laws to mate with the fair Maddiline!" he decreed, after which he looked towards her… only to stop dead and freeze at the sight of her standing completely still as if she were a statue, her expression now a lifeless frown, and her stare metaphorically burning a hole right through Ivy's head.

"No, you can't!" Ivy proclaimed, standing up right between them. "I love you so! I could never bare to see that wicked _witch_ take you away from me!" She then turned around to point at Maddie, but to her shock, she had disappeared. However, the moment she turned back, she was right there between her and Sprig, her frown completely unchanged. "G'ahh!" Ivy screamed in terror and fell to the ground. Then, before she could get back up, the magician stepped over her, leaning forward on nothing but the tips of her toes.

"Stay out of this," she grimaced, her gaze now burrowing into vitriolic rage. "Sprig is mine. Nobody else's. So why don't you just head out that door and we'll all pretend that never happened, _okay?_"

Mr. Flour stepped in. "You oughta listen to her, Sundew. I'm not sure if I can control her when she gets like this."

"_Yes you could, you just don't want to," _Immediately, she pushed herself up on her feet and stood her ground as she looked the magician dead in the eye. "Sorry, but that's not going to happen. And if you're not going to give Sprig up willingly, then I hereby challenge you to the Frog Mating Duel!"

Sprig let out an overly dramatic gasp, as the door burst open once again, this time revealing Hop Pop covered head to toe in pink lipstick and kiss marks all while breathing like crazy.

"Did somebody just call for a Frog Mating Duel?!" he blared, while being only slightly better at acting than Ivy was.

"Oh, for the love of- How long have you been around here?!" Mr. Flour interrogated, looking like he's had it with the chaos spiraling around him.

"...Yes!" Hop Pop answered, in the loosest sense of the word. He then headed over to the two girls. "Now, kids. I know my son is pretty much the greatest choice of a mate around Wartwood… especially since he's the only male frog for like ten females, but rules are rules." He then took out the book from his study out of his jacket, and flipped through the pages. "Now, the way this here shindig works is, there will be three challenges the two of you younguns must compete in. These will test your love and passion for Sprig, and only the frog with the strongest of such will emerge victorious. The one who wins two out of the three wins, and your prize shall be Sprig!" They all looked over to the boy frog, who gave a sheepish smile and a wave. "So! Are you two ready to duke it out?"

Maddie took a step back from Ivy, glanced at Sprig, and then back at her new rival. "I'm ready," she cackled, her mouth growing into a wicked grin.

"Heh, hehehe, I-I'm ready," Ivy chuckled, a beat of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Excellent!" Hop Pop declared. "The first contest shall begin in one hour! Be at the stage by then or you'll forfeit the match!"

Hopadiah then saw himself out, leaving the three kids and the baker all alone.

"So, uhhh…. Good luck!" Ivy chimed, extending a hand out to Maddie, who had already disappeared into thin air, leaving her awestruck. That's when she took a gander at Sprig, who was looking completely petrified over the thought of what was going to happen.

"Hey, don't worry, Sprig! Whatever these challenges are, I'm sure that magic girl won't have anything over me!" she boasted, making sure to give off a more than a little obvious wink towards him, before running off out of the bakery herself.

Sprig, while not entirely mollified, looked to Mr. Flour, who looked at him in return. After a brief pause, he only said, "Remember, Sprig. She loves those gorgeous mushrooms" before giving him finger guns and a click from his mouth before returning to his work, leaving only his subtle hums the flames crackling from the oven to prevent the room from falling into complete silence.

'_Why do I get the feeling that this is going to end poorly?' _Sprig internally muttered.

_ **Meanwhile…..** _

"Polllyyyyyy," Anne whined, cupping her pelvis with her hands as she writhed around in pain. "I need more leaves!"

The young frog hopped into the living room, and looked shocked at the sheer amount of blood-soaked leaves that were strewn about the floor. "Wha… are you kidding me?! It's only been fifteen minutes! I've already spent _hours_ gathering these leaves! How could you have gone through _all of them_?!"

"I'm a heavy bleeder, alright?!" she snapped back. "Now stop complaining and help me deal with my blood-soaked crotch!" Though, she relented a bit once she saw the shrunken pupils within the tadpole's eyes and immediately sensed her mood-swing-induced anger take hold of her again. "I-I'm sorry, Polly. It's just... I'm so frustrated that these leaves aren't doing a dang thing! Every time I try to press them against me, the blood always just seems to punch clean through them all!"

Wiping her brow with her stubby arm, Poolly hopped over to Anne's side of the couch. "Why do you even care so much about this 'period' thing? I've seen you get hurt around here, and you've always just put a bandage on whatever cut you got and just went on like nothing ever happened."

"Well… this is a whole 'nother league from something as small as a scrape," she sighed. "Periods last a whole week, and during that whole time the bleeding just goes on and on non stop." She buried her head in the sofa's arm. "And you've gotta deal with it around the clock or else before you know it, every single pair of underwear you own is gonna be in the laundry for three days straight and you'll have to wear your pants riding up against you just to keep some resemblance of your dignity!"

Polly couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "That sounds like you speak from experience."

Anne chuckled back at her. "I do, and believe me, it was not pretty. That was 85 dollars in replacement jeans I'll never get back."

"And you're telling me that you've really gotta go through this every single month?" she asked, still dumbstruck over such a seemingly daunting feat. "How do you even get used to something like that?"

"Well, in all honesty, I'm still not really used to it," she confessed. "Yeah, I know it's all natural, but feeling all that warm and sticky blood on my skin that entire time still makes me feel all queasy and gross."

"Haha," Polly giggled. "Well, given how grossed out you got just from spit, I'm not sure that's saying all that much."

Anne then laughed out loud, slapping her little friend on the back before pulling her in for a hug. The tadpole simply laughed along with her... only to be dropped back onto the couch out of nowhere as Anne cried out in pain once again, holding onto her pelvis for dear life.

"S-Sorry, Polly," she winced, resisting the urge to shed tears. "Another cramp," she then gasped at the blood seeping through her fingers, as a few droplets landed onto the couch. "Oh, God! Hop Pop's gonna kill me! What am I gonna do about this?!"

The brunette buried her face into her knees, as Polly took a look at the leaves once again and put her arm up to her chin. "Hmmm…" she thought. "Well, from the looks of things, the leaves aren't doing jack squat. There has to be a better way..." she looked up in contemplation. "Anne, back in your world, what did you use to take care of this bleeding problem of yours?"

"W-Well… I would always just use these things called tampons," Anne answered, trying to tear her eyes away from the bloodstain on the couch. "Back home, all of us girls would fight over those and pads. Personally, I went with tampons not because they necessarily made it all easier or because they don't come with risks, but just because I can stuff them inside of me and I don't have to bother with them until I get home." She began to shudder in ecstasy. "It hurts when you put them in at first, but oh boy, does it really feel _gooooood after_, just having that cotton brush up against your-"

"Wait wait wait! Did you say cotton?!" Polly interrupted, pounding her arms together. "I think I know just the thing that'll help you out! Hop Pop used to tell Sprig and I stories about when he was quote unquote 'spritely and young like us', and while they were mostly kinda snooze inducing, don't tell him I said that, I remember one of them being about these gigantic cotton fields a few miles south of us that's home to the softest and most absorbent cotton plants you can find anywhere! If we can find some of them, we can bring them back here and _shove them straight into you!_"

Polly noticed Anne wincing at the thought of that last part, as she let out a sheepish giggle. "G-Gently, of course."

"Oh, that sounds just wonderful!" Anne whimpered, starting to get misty eyed and emotional. "Thanks so much, Polly! You're the best little sister I could've ever asked for!"

"Aww, shucks. It's no big deal, really," Polly smiled, starting to let out a small bead of sweat. "Just try not to get all emotional on me, will ya?"

"What was that?!" Anne growled, her mood changing instantaneously.

"N-Nothing, nothing!" Polly stammered, with Anne simply staring at her for a second.

"Great!" she soon chimed, her happy demeanor returning just as quickly as it disappeared. "Then let's go onwards to the fields of cotton!" Then, grabbing Polly in one hand, she leapt from the couch and ran towards the door... only to stop dead in her tracks as she fell to the ground due to another cramp.

"Uhhh, Anne, maybe we should just take it slow for your sake," Polly advised, worming herself free from Anne's tight grasp.

"Yeah, yeah. G-Good idea, nnnggggghh," Anne murmured, wincing in pain once more.

* * *

"If you wish to connect souls, expressing your feelings in words is the goal. Follow your heart and you shall see, the written word is the key," Hop Pop read aloud from his book, as he looked upon the row of stumps that littered the field, all of which laid barren except for the two in the front occupied by Ivy and Maddie, each holding the torn barks of trees as makeshift clipboards and pieces of paper along with a pencil for each one. Behind them sat Sprig, sporting an innocent look while he dangled his feet over his stump's edge.

"In simplified terms, all you kids gotta do is write a love letter detailing all about how you both feel for Sprig!" Hopadiah continued. "You'll have fifteen minutes to make the most heartfelt, sappy, and romantic piece of glorified flirting he's ever seen. And once both of you are done or when the time runs out, whichever comes first, you're gonna take yer poems and read them out to our judge!" he turned his attention to Sprig, who just looked at the two of them with the same smile as before.

"I'm sure the both of you will do just fine!" Sprig cheered, while making sure to let out a special wink towards Ivy, who gave a nod in return, taking care not to gravitate her eyes lower down his body. She then noticed Maddie holding some sort of doll that eerily resembled her. In the next moment, Ivy watched as the magician looked at her with a friendly demeanor while simultaneously squeezing the doll tighter and tighter before its head eventually popped clean off. It took all of her willpower not to gulp in front of her.

"Now, this here book doesn't really say otherwise, but I want to set forth a few rules," Hop Pop decreed. "One: there will be no mudslinging of your opponents. Nothing but pure and honest fluff towards your potential mate. How're you supposed to endear yourselves when you both are arguing over who's less terrible?"

Upon hearing this, Maddie turned her pencil around and erased what she had written.

"Two: you are only allowed to write with the papers you're provided. I don't know about you younguns but I'm not sure I have all the time in the world left and I don't want to waste it watching you go into five hour long rants about how many babies you're gonna have!"

Ivy and Sprig cackled at such an idea, while Maddie looked away and blushed while letting loose a frown… and continuing to erase.

"And finally, there shall be nothing related to any sort of mating practices or just weird stuff in general. And don't think you can sneak any terms or expressions you think I wouldn't know under the rug. I may be old, but I ain't _that_ old."

"We'll see about that!" Sprig shouted in the back, before he and Ivy burst out in laughter. Grumbling at his snarky remark, Hop Pop finished with: "Other than that, anything is fair game! So with that out of the way, let the writing begin!" He then put his fingers in his mouth and blew into them with all his might… causing the sound of a dying animal to radiate through the field. Ivy and Maddie exchanged glances for a moment, unsure of how to respond. And so, Hop Pop blew once again, and then again, and again, until he eventually flared his arms and shouted: "Oh just go!"

With that, Maddie looked straight down at her paper and scribbled away like crazy, causing Ivy to recoil in her seat as she peered down at her own blank sheet. As she massaged her pencil against her chin, she racked her mind to find the words she could use to properly express just how she felt about Sprig. Even though their plan was for Sprig to just judge in her favor in every challenge, it just didn't feel right for her to write something completely half-assed because of that. And yet, no matter how hard she tried, nothing outside of "I love you…" could come to mind. She massaged her temples as she glanced at Sprig, desperate for the slightest hint of inspiration. Yet, in the process, she found herself entranced by his charming exterior, as the mating season hormones began to course through her body once again. Almost losing her grip of her still blank paper, her mind began to wander along Sprig's silky smooth legs, those perfectly shaped eyes, that cute little smile he gave whenever he looked at her. All of it just made her heart throb just thinking about how much he made her happy. And she couldn't wait to grab him and throw him onto her-

"Ten minutes, younguns! Ten minutes left!" Hop Pop wailed into the air, causing Ivy to snap out of her love induced trance and jolt her head towards her letter, which still hadn't a single word printed on it.  
**  
**'_Gaaahhh! Come on, Ivy! You need to focus!'_ she held her head, before taking a firm grip of her pencil and planting it firmly onto the top left corner of her message. But the words she was searching for wouldn't come to her at all, as she banged her head against her tree board, and looked towards Maddie, who was still writing to her heart's content, while holding a hand to her heart. Ivy began to grow nervous. "_What if I can't write down a single word? Is Sprig gonna be forced to mate with Maddie? What'll happen then?! Will he hate me forever?!_"

But her lack of eloquent prose was unignorable, and so, to her internal chagrin, she opted for a different approach.

_ **Ten minutes later…** _

"Time's up, kids!" Hop Pop declared, prompting Ivy and Maddie to look up and put down their pencils. "Now, you two are gonna show whatcha wrote to Sprig and he's gonna decide which one he likes best."

"You heard him, ladies," Sprig hopped off his stump and strutted his way towards the two competing frogs, "show me what you've got!"

Taking hold of their letters, Ivy and Maddie leaped off of their logs and walked towards Sprig, the former looking particularly nervous while the latter looked like she was uncharacteristically eager to share her work.

"Well then, why don't you go first, Ivy?" the male frog offered, after which Ivy lept in front of Maddie and cleared her throat.

"Sprig...I love you more than anything in the world!" she exclaimed, giving Sprig a big smile, and letting linger for a few moments. Sprig smiled back, only to notice her go silent, to which he eventually grew out of his grin and sprouted a look of confusion.

"Uhhh...is that all you-" he started, before being shoved in the face by what Ivy had really created: a drawing of him sprawled out into a star, with a little heart atop of it. It wasn't entirely something that could be put into a museum, but for what she was able to accomplish in a mere fifteen minutes, it turned out to be a pretty swell little piece. However, Sprig himself didn't exactly know what to make of it.

"You do know this wasn't exactly the challenge… right?" he gave her an apologetic chuckle. "But I really do like it!" He then snatched the paper from Ivy, folded it up, and carefully slipped it into his back pocket. "_So I can always have it and remember her."_

"Gee, thanks a lot," Ivy held her hands behind her back as she twisted her foot against the ground, but their tender moment wasn't to last, as Maddie appeared right beside her, scaring Ivy once more and causing her to fall to the ground.

"My turn," she said, before taking her letter and adjusting it in front of her. "I want you to know, Sprig, I wrote this specifically with you in mind."

"I-I wouldn't have it any other way, Maddie," he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. With that, the blue frog peered deep within her letter and read it aloud.

_Sprig, ever since you agreed to marry me all those months ago, I didn't have it in me to express it then, but my heart skipped a beat every time we passed each other on the streets. For the longest time, all I'd ever known was magic and the dark arts, and all of the voices and visions that came along with it. Until I met you, they all kept me content. But then, you gave me a true taste of normality, a life outside of my dark and lonely corner within the bakery. You made me feel like there was something more to life outside of my spells' capabilities. I may be able to create creatures and cast hexes on whoever crossed me, but there was absolutely nothing I could do to replicate the feeling of belonging that you showed me. You, Sprig, are the shining light within my realm of darkness. You are the light within my heart that allows me to ignore all of my visions of the deaths of others. And even though we are no longer betrothed, I still would be honored if you would allow me to be the mother of your first child. Because you have cast a hex on my soul, a hex that made me fall for you. And a hex that I would never dare break._

Maddie let her arms fall to her sides, as she tilted her head and looked towards Sprig with a warm grin. As for the judge himself, he was simply left completely silent at her letter, as if he had heard the testament of some all powerful deity and that all the words to describe it had been taken from his tongue. Even Ivy, who had pushed herself off of the ground, was a little embarrassed to admit that she found herself releasing a small but very noticeable blush.

"S-So…." Maddie whispered. "what'd you think of it, Sprig?"

Still too in awe to speak, he simply tiptoed a step forward as he looked deep into Maddie's exposed eye. "M-Maddie…" he whispered. "Did...did you...did you really mean that? That I was your 'light within your realm of darkness'?"

"Yes…" Maddie nodded, seemingly on the verge of shedding a tear. "You really are."

And as the two fell silent once again, another fit of hormones surged through them, as they started to look at each other in a flirtatious manner, something that Ivy took notice of very quickly. Then, just before they began to raise their hands to meet each other's, the tomboyish frog stepped right between them in a fit of jealousy.

"Hey! Hey, hey, hey! We're still in the middle of a duel, sister! Hands off!" she flailed, sticking her arms out straight onto each of their chests. Maddie knocked her hand away and gave her a wicked glare.

"N-Now, now, everyone. Let's not kill each other just yet," Hop Pop intervened with a chuckle, sensing that he just stopped a nuclear disaster. "Now that you've both read your letters, it's time for Sprig to-"

"Maddie! Definitely Maddie!" Sprig almost instantly cried, causing a great deal of surprise in Ivy and a flutter within Maddie's heart.

"Oh…" his grandpa went in confusion, after all, the plan was to have Ivy win. "W-well in that case, I guess it's one point for Maddie. Next challenge will be in two hours, sharp! Head on over to the entrance of Wartwood by that time or you're out!"

"With pleasure," Maddie chimed, before turning to Sprig and giving him an amorous wink, which caused him to giggle gleefully in response. She then grabbed a magic bag and threw it towards the ground, causing pink smoke to fill the air; and when it cleared, she was gone.

Ivy looked around until she heard Sprig giggling like a child who had just gotten his favorite candy, as she walked up to him, grabbed him by his shoulders, and started shaking him as hard as she could. "Sprig! What in Amphibia did you do?!"

"Wha… wh-what?! What happened?!" Sprig shouted, rubbing his head, his eyes swirling around.

"You know what happened! You just gave Maddie a win!"

"I-I WHAT?! ...Wait, what does that mean…?" His heart began to race.

"It means that if she wins just one more challenge, she gets you as her mate," Hop Pop informed.

"Ohhhh, that's right," he said, letting out a laugh, before the realization hit him that he messed up royally, after which he screamed out into the sky. "WHAT DID I DO?! OH GOSH, I'M GONNA HAVE TO MATE WITH MADDIE! WE'RE GONNA MAKE MAGICAL MAGIC BABIES! AND AND AND AND-"

***Slap!***

In the midst of his inane rambling, Sprig felt a powerful hand smack him on the cheek, as Ivy made sure that he was looking right at her.

"Get a hold of yourself, Sprig!" she screamed, before giving him a minute to compose himself. Once he eventually did through multiple gasps for air, she continued with: "Look, it's not over yet, we just have to make sure that I win the next two challenges and then we're home free and we can finally enjoy mating season, like adults!"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Sprig exhaled, still breathing heavily. "Like adults…"

Ivy paused, and looked into his eyes, her voice filled with desperation for an answer. "But I still wanna know why, Sprig. Why didn't you vote for me?"

"I… I just… I just couldn't let Maddie down like that!" Sprig sighed, looking towards the ground in shame. "I still don't really want to mate with her; believe me, I don't. But after hearing that love letter… it just would've felt so heartless to crush her soul by voting against her… mating season or not, Maddie still is my friend, and I could never do that to her…"

Ivy's gaze softened with that, as she released Sprig's shoulders and began to step back from him.

"B-Besides… Maybe this could work to our advantage," the boy frog optimistically chimed. "Now that Maddie has a win in this contest, she won't think we're up to something, right?

The area between them fell into a complete fit of silence, before Ivy dared to tap Sprig on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

"Sprig…" she started, only for her to raise her hand up and slap him once again, only this time, it was much more soft and playful, as she let out a giggle of her own. "You really do care about everyone you meet, don't you?"

"Hehe, yep. I'm a liker," he replied, giving an exuberant smile while poking his cheeks with his thumbs.

"Yeah… And that's one of the things I love about you…"

"Y-You do…?"

Ivy slightly nodded.

"Then why didn't you just write that into your letter?!" Sprig quipped, causing Ivy to sock him in his arm and let out a laugh, with him joining soon after.

"Alright, alright, you two, settle down. We've got to prepare ourselves for round 2!" Hop Pop cut in.

"Oh, right!" Ivy confirmed, putting her hands on her hips while she sprouted a look of confidence. "And what's that gonna be?"

The hands of time then leaped to two hours later, as she and Maddie looked down the narrow stretch of the path leading into town, and the only thing in their sights was the dark and treacherous forest that stood right before them.

"An extreme scavenger hunt!" Hop Pop decreed, leading to Maddie and Ivy both gulping in fear of their lives.

From EMK46: 15-8 2-15-25 23-8-1-20 19-21-16-5-18 5-4-7-25 15-3 13-15-14-19-20-5-18 1-18-5 20-8-5-25 7-15-14-14-1 6-9-14-19

From ΩU: 6-18-15-13 20-8-5 12-15-15-11-19 15-6 9-20 8-15-16 16-15-16 8-1-19 8-1-4 13-15-18-5 1-3-20-9-15-14 19-15 6-1-18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from Epsilon: Tch. Well, we couldn't even last two chapters without starting a shipping war, now could we? Then again, it probably would've ended up that way no matter what we did with this prompt. Heck if I know. Anyways, promise me y'all won't tear each other apart in the reviews section, and Omega will hit you off next time!
> 
> A/N for Omega Heh, from the looks of it, action's comin' our way. On Epsilon's note, my chapter will probably give you ideas for tearing each other apart, so that'll be fun to see. I hope you guys enjoyed! See ya next time!


	3. Into The Forest And Down The Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N From Omega: Welcome to chapter 3! Written by yours truly! Finally some crazy monster action! I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> A/N from Epsilon: And so we return. Or rather, he returns. But don't you worry, I'll be back. …..In the next chapter. For now, however, go ahead and enjoy yourselves with "chaptir tree"!

Chapter 3: Into The Forest And Down The Rabbit Hole

For a moment, the three young frogs stood by, none of them sure just how to react to Hop Pop's… rather excited introduction to the dark forest that surrounded their town.

"Ahh… there are so many legends about this here forest," He pulled out the same book from before and began to scroll through it. "Some say that this is where we came from, with all of the creatures in Amphibia being born from its soil. Others say that it's cursed, that evil hands work its land and create the creatures that roam the woods, all of them hoping to extinguish the light."

Sprig rubbed the back of his head. "Uhh, Hop Pop, as much as we enjoy listening to your stories… would you mind just telling us what the next challenge is?" Ivy and Maddie both nodded in agreement.

"Oh, right," the old man gave a small chuckle. "Sorry, it's just, I have a lotta memories from this place… now where was I?" he pulled out his glasses and read aloud. "Ahh, here. "Though your life will have ups and downs, with love, it will be possible to overcome any obstacle. Your job during this challenge is to prove it, by going into the forest bringing back a creature to symbolize how you feel about Sprig."

"Uhh, in froggish, please?" Ivy tilted her head in slight confusion.

"Simply put, go into the forest and bring back an animal or beast of sorts," Hopadiah closed the book. "The girl who brings the best creature back for our judge wins!" He waved his finger at them. "And remember, cute or awesome, it doesn't matter! So think of what Sprig would prefer!"

"All right! Good luck you two!" Sprig gave a cheerful wave to both girls, before bringing his arm down. "And go!"

"_I have to win! I can't lose him to Maddie!"_ Ivy found her heart aching at the thought, the very idea of watching him have to go. "_But… he gave her a win."_ Suddenly an image appeared before her, of Sprig with his arms wrapped around the magician and the magician's around his. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, before leaning forward-

"_No!" _The young girl shook her head. "_I need to keep going!"_ with that, she steeled her gaze, before glancing at the boy she so desired, his reassuring smile filling her with determination. "_He knows I can win this, that's why he's not worried! So what if poetry isn't my thing?! I'm Ivy Sundew! Best hunter in town!"_ and with that, she bolted into the forest, nearly sending her hat flying off into the wind.

"And I get to-" Sprig wound himself back, only for his grandfather to grab him by the collar.

"Oh no you don't," Hop Pop waved his finger at Sprig. "As a precaution so that you aren't able to help in this challenge, it is stipulated that you're gonna watch your potential mates from the watchtower."

"Aww, what?!" The boy whined in disappointment. "But the forest! Danger! I'm gonna miss it?!"

"Sorry my boy, but rules are rules," the old man chuckled, before hopping up the ladder. "Besides, if you want Maddie to accept the results of this contest, you're gonna need to make sure it's fair for her," he gave a small chuckle. "That's why, while I was a bit surprised, I'm glad you gave her the win; she really earned it. Why, I haven't heard a poem like that since the time I was young!"

"Thanks, I guess," the boy responded, as he leaned against the watchtower railing. "_I don't know what came over me though…"_ his heart began to beat faster. "_Maybe it was just how… it made me feel special. Like she truly loved me..."_

Hop Pop smiled and patted his grandson's back, no doubt taking note of his expression. "Hey, don't worry about it. Remember Sprig, you never know what life is gonna bring ya. Just be happy that you have two great girls fighting over ya and when it's all over, the girl of your dreams will be waitin' for ya, whoever that may be."

And in response, the boy smiled and gave a small chuckle. "Thanks, Hop Pop."

_ **Nearby…** _

"Ambush!" Ivy shouted as she leaped from a random tree branch and tucked and rolled, grabbing a random creature as she rolled on the ground. "_Come on, come on, please be something good!"_ and when she opened her arms, a squirrel jumped out and scurried away. "_Dangit! That sucks!"_

She immediately rushed to her feet and scanned the clearing she had landed in. "_Come on Ivy, you've hunted down crazy monsters before! Just like your hero, Comet Butterspy!" _She then turned and began to rush through the forest. At this point, the sun had begun its evening descent, filling the sky with the blues, purples and oranges of the sunset. "_It's getting dark out. If I don't get back soon, it's gonna get too dark to find anything!"_ she gave a small smile. "_Then again, the most awesome animals come out at night!"_ she looked up. "_But what'll be good enough-"_

Yet, before she could finish her thought, her foot got caught on a hole in the ground causing her to go. "G'ahh!" before tucking and rolling back onto her feet, immediately readying herself for a fight, though nothing came. "_Close one," _wordlessly, she inspected the opening, taking note of its triangular shape and sharp claw marks. "_Whatever left this track looks fierce,"_ she smiled and turned around. "_That means whatever is at the end of this trail will be perfect for Sprig! Don't worry! I'm not gonna let you down! I'm gonna get you the most awesome thing ever!"_

In another forest clearing, Maddie grabbed at the plants and roots that littered the ground, before she shoved them into a small burlap sack. "All right, this should reveal the whereabouts of a creature so beautiful and majestic that it'll definitely win Sprig's favor…" she paused. "_I can't let Ivy Sundew take him from me. Sprig is something else…"_ for a moment, the thought crossed her mind. "_From the moment I first saw her, I knew she'd be trouble,"_ she closed her eyes, stifling the tears beginning to make their way out. "_Sprig… was my first friend and I wanna give him everything I can. I wanna be with him…"_ she shook her head and steeled her gaze. "_I can't waste time,"_ before she raised the bag and closing her eyes. Suddenly, a ring of white light appeared below her while the sac began to float in the air. "I call upon the powers of the day and night! Light and darkness reveal your true might! Release and dispel your power to fight! Grant me sight beyond sight!"

Instantly, the ring glowed brighter, before engulfing Maddie in a pillar of light. When it finally died down, she stood in place once more, though this time with a path of bioluminescent mushrooms lining the path ahead of her. "_Jackpot,"_ she bolted forward. "_Come on, come on, it's gotta be something good!"_ she turned and rushed up, following the trail as it ended at the base of a small tree stump. Maddie's heart raced as her gaze moved up to land on her prey… only to find a small deer with its back and head covered by leaves.

Her once excited grin fell in disappointment. "Dang it!" she clenched her fists before throwing the empty sack that had led her to this point. "This isn't good enough for Sprig at all! He deserves something crazy! Maybe adorable! Crazy adorable!" She grabbed the sides of her head and pulled at her hair. "I know he still sleeps with his kiddie toys!"

"B'ahh!" The deer went, before turning and jumping over the young frog, causing one of its followers to fall in front of her. Maddie wordlessly smelled it, her eyes going wide in realization. "_Wait… that wasn't an ordinary deer! That was a Valerifawn! It's covered in magical flowers! With the best at the crown of its head,"_ she clutched her hand and bolted forward. "_I have to get it! If I boost my magic enough, I might be able to find the perfect gift for Sprig!"_

Immediately, the fawn ducked and dodged through the trees, the shadows of the sunset forest easily concealing it from its pursuer's view. Yet, Maddie didn't hesitate. "For Sprig!" she jumped and rolled, grabbing a bioluminescent mushroom as she came back to her feet. Quickly crushing it with her hands she shouted. "Powers of Light, reveal the unseen to me!" before throwing them ahead of her, causing the once dark mushrooms to glow as well. "I'm not letting you get away!"

With that, the Valerifawn turned and rushed along a dimmed path, though thanks to Maddie's spell, she easily spotted it and continued the chase. "_Come on, there has to be a way for me to catch it!"_ she darted her eyes for a moment, trying to come up with an idea, only for her gaze to fall upon a nearby rock face. "_Idea!"_

Quickly, she grabbed a rock and shoved it in one of her spell bags. "All right, Earth, build a wall to contain the Valerifawn!" and with that, she pulled back and threw.

The bag seemed to spin in the air for a moment as it flew towards the elusive animal. "_Come on… come on…"_

Then, just as it was about to hit the ground… it cracked the fawn on the head, knocking it to the ground and allowing Maddie to catch up. "_Well that was unexpected,"_ she immediately grabbed the follower off the poor animal's head. "_Poor thing, but I'm sure it'll be fine…"_ she paused, taking note of the blood-covered flower she took. "…_or maybe not…"_ she sighed, before pulling another one of its flowers, crushing it and casting. "Forest heal!" And instantly, the fawn's wound healed as well as the flowers that Maddie had taken from it. With that, the deer-like creature turned, nodded and hopped off into the forest, leaving Maddie with her prize.

She took a breath. "All right, here we go again!" she began to rise. "I call upon the powers, blah, blah, blah, reveal!" and immediately, the path from before lit up, with Maddie bolting forward once more. "_I hope it's something good!"_

And this time, the light-shroom path led to another stump. However, this time a small creature rested atop. It was ball-like, with white fur covering it in its entirely… aside from its small green claws and light-blue eyes.

The pink-haired girl gave a warm with that, her heart racing in excitement as she rushed over and picked it up in her arms. "You're perfect! Sprig is gonna love you!" she raised it up, before giving a small twirl, soft tears filling her eyes. "_He's gonna love me."_

"Kuri, kuri!" the creature went in joy, its eyes closing as it laughed. "Kuribohn! Bohn!"

The magician couldn't help, but laugh along with it. "You've got an adorable laugh too!" She pulled the hairball creature close. "_Just like Sprig's. I know he's gonna love it. It's definitely better than anything that stupid Ivy could've pulled out after all!"_

With that, she held the creature out once more. "All right, I'll call you, Bohn. Like it?"

"Kuri, kuri!" It nodded in affirmation.

"Good," the spell caster smiled, before pulling it in close once more and turning. "Now, let's get back before Ivy does!" and with that, she bolted back into the forest.

* * *

"Hmm… the trail's getting warmer," Ivy whispered as she kneeled down and pulled a sample of the mud from the new footprint she found. She sniffed it, before smearing some on her cheek. "_This is fresh, I'm close,"_ she harshened her gaze, before taking a look around.

At this point, all of the smaller animals she had once been chasing after had dried out. Instead, she found herself standing in a forest clearing, covered in scratches and glowing energy marks, no doubt the residue from an attack of sorts. "_But what could've…"_ she followed the trail forward, allowing her gaze to fall upon a cave where the tracks seemed to end inside of.

She steeled her gaze. "_Whatever did this is in there. That means that if I wanna prove that I truly deserve Sprig, I'm gonna have to bring it back. Wilderness training, here we go!"_ And with that, she rushed into the cave.

Immediately, she found herself surrounded by thousands of bones, no doubt from the unlucky few who managed to get a glimpse of the beast before it had them for dinner. Along with this, the tracks began to fade as more and more green-glowing residue appeared, illuminating what should've been a dark cave. "_Come on…"_

*Caw!* the cry resonated through the cave before a figure flew out from the depths, its claws aimed squarely at the young frog.

In response, Ivy ducked and rolled, her signature hat sustaining only a minor scratch as she turned back and jumped. "Ha!"

Instantly the creature spread its almost mechanical wings, with its feathers ordered neatly with translucent green scales acting as feathers. It turned back and flapped, sending a gust of wind at her, in an attempt to force her down… and instead sent her flying into a back wall. "G'ahh!"

With that, the creature folded its wings and dived at her once more. "_I… I can't…"_ She could feel her heart race as fear began to rush through her veins.

*Roar!* It cried again, only for the frog girl to duck and roll, only for it to slap her with its back claws, sending her flying into a nearby stalagmite, breaking it apart.

"Ugh…" she groaned, her vision fading as exhaustion and pain soon overcame her. "_No… I can't…"_ she could feel herself beginning to drift off as the creature turned back and began to stomp its way over to her. No doubt readying more of its green breath to finish her off. "_I'm sorry Sprig…"_

Slowly her mind began to wander. The moments passed like hours as the image of the boy appeared before her. "Hey Ivy!" she heard him greet. "Haha you're the best! My favorite sparring partner!" her vision slowly turned black, leaving only him standing before her. "It'll be alright, you'll be fine! I'll protect you"

"_I'm… I'm sorry…"_ was all she could think. "_I love you, Sprig. I didn't wanna lose you… I'm sorry that I never told you this… but I loved you from the first time we ever met…"_

"_And I love you!"_ Sprig went in reply, his image awkwardly grabbing his arm and blushing, followed by him pulling his goggles over his eyes. "_I know, it's stupid, but… I've always loved you Ivy! I… I want to dance with you! Please!"_

*Arrr!* The beast slammed it's claws by Ivy's body, sending tremors through the ground and shaking her.

"_But how? I… I'm in way over my head,"_ her mind jumped.

"_So what? Since when has that stopped you?" _Sprig gave a small chuckle. "_Now, go handle that thing, won't ya? I'll be waiting for ya! That way you can give me that dance you promised"_

Ivy opened her eyes wide, with fire filling her pupils. "_Yeah, you're right, I'm Ivy Sundew!"_ her heart began to race as the beast began to slam its claws into her to crush her. Instantly, she rolled and pushed herself upright. "I'm gonna dance with you Sprig! I promise!" With that, she pulled back before bolting forward. "Sprig, I love you! I won't ever let you down!"

In response, the beast charged up a blast from its mouth, before bearing down upon the young girl, sending a column of light at her. Yet, Ivy immediately rolled out of the way, the e blast easily ripping through the solid rock of the cave. "_Energy blasts? Cool, nothing I haven't dealt with before,"_ with that, she steeled her gaze and raised her fists once more. "I'm not gonna give up! For Sprig!"

*Roar!* The beast's cry threatened to shake the cave apart at this point, that is… if the acid didn't break through first. "When I get home, I'm gonna need new panties."

With that, the beast swung once more. And yet, Ivy didn't back down, jumping over the swipe and grabbing onto the creature's armor-like skin, its scales glowing bright green in the light of the residue. "I'm gonna get you to stay down!"

Instantly it boosted forward, spreading its wings and rolling in an attempt to get her off. And yet, Ivy held on her heart and mind racing faster than they ever had before. "Not yet! I'm not gonna give up until you're mine Sprig!" She gripped tighter, and fingers breaking through the creature's defenses as she climbed onto its back. Then, with the rope she kept just for emergencies, she tied a harness around its neck. "You're gonna be mine whether you like it or not!"

*Roar!* It flew violently trying to get her off, only for Ivy to hold on tightly. "Grrah!" She forced it to turn with that, causing it to crash into a nearby tree. "Yield yet?!"

In response, the creature unloaded a stream of acid.

"_This'll be harder than I thought,"_ she clutched the harness tighter. "_But for Sprig, I'm gonna do it,"_ And with that she got to work.

_ **Meanwhile…** _

"_All right Bohn, here we go. You can do this, Maddie,"_ the young girl took a breath before stepping forward towards the watchtower, the puff of white hair in her arms. "Hey Sprig!"

With that Sprig jumped over the railing and slid down the ladder that connected the post to the ground, before turning to face her. "Hi Maddie, did you find something?"

The pink-haired girl gave a small nod, before pulling her creature from behind her back. "I know it's not big or that fantastical, but I felt like you'd love this," And in response, the hairball raised its claw and cheered "Kuri, kuri."

"Whoa," the boy whispered, reaching his hand out to touch the creature as he did so.

It seemed to smile at him in response. Leaning forward and nuzzling his hand with its forehead.

"Do you like it?" She asked, her voice filling with hope.

And as he pet the hairball he gave a small nod. "Yeah, I love it. It looks like Ivy-"

*Spurt* the hairball creature went, covering Sprig's hand in the fluid. "W-What the?!" Yet, before he could do anything else, the beast dug its claws into the young boy's arm, before compacting the attack in webbing.

"G'ahh!" The boy panicked, quickly hurrying to get the stuff off of him... only for him to get even more caught up in the webbing.

Instantly Maddie began to rush her hands all over her body, searching for anything she could use to help him. Her eyes went wide in realization. "_I used up all my spells trying to find that thing!" _immediately, she lunged forward, grabbing hold of the hairy creature and pulling back, trying to force it away.

And yet, in response, the creature turned around and launched more webbing tying Maddie to it as well.

"What is this thing?!" Sprig shouted in panic.

"I don't know!" Maddie countered. "I thought it was just a harmless little hairball!"

*Hisss!* It went in response, before it began to glow. Suddenly, six silver blade-like claws emerged from the creature's back. Its eyes glew with purple light, as its two front claws stretched and morthed, taking the form of oversized daggers. Its once stumpy tail elongated and covered itself in purple scales before ending itself in a silver shark fin. Finally, the monster's hairy body popped, revealing a silver abdomen with a massive thorax attached at the end. Lastly, the beast stood up, allowing its underside to cover itself in purple scales.

The two children pupils shrank in sheer horror at what they bore witness to: a gigantic white spider with razor sharp claws, and beady red eyes aimed directly at them, as the beast released a deafening screech.

"Sprig! Maddie!" Hop Pop shouted as he reached out, only for the creature to turn and aim at him, forcing him to take cover from a web attack.

After that, the giant spider paused, before lifting up the two frogs, their bodies now covered near-completely in its white silk. Its jaws watered while its claws prepared to tend and tear the two children.

"_Dangit,"_ Maddie closed her eyes and began to tear up. "I'm sorry, Sprig..." her voice filled with regret, though she doubted he nor anyone could hear her.

"Go! Majester! Take flight!" A voice called out, before Ivy burst forth the trees, now easily riding the creature she had worked so hard to tame. At this point, Both Ivy and the creature were injured, with Ivy's body and her clothes now covered in scratches with her hat being torn in two, while the beast had multiple broken scales to go along with the bruises and scratches it sustained from crashing into multiple trees.

Despite this, however, they both seemed in high spirits, with beast cawing in obedience while Ivy pointed ahead, directing it to move faster, before she took hold of the reigns and nudged him to turn.

"Check it out Sprig!" Her voice cut through the heavens as she turned to inspect the watchtower... only to find the massive spider beast about to consume the boy she had worked so hard to impress. Her eyes went wide, before leaned forward and nudged Majester down, prompting him to corkscrew towards the beast. "Hang on guys I'm coming!"

*Hiss!* The Spider turned to face them in response, before holding Maddie and Sprig back and pushing its tail forward, aiming its web shooter at the incoming duo.

"Come on, boy, majestic star strike!" Ivy pointed forward and in response the winged-beast raised its wings and swung them forward, not only stopping them in mid-air, but sending a barrage of its scale-feathers at the spider.

Quickly, the spider rolled out of the way, before launching its webbing at the duo.

"_This is getting dangerous!" _Ivy immediately tugged back at the reigns, ordering the beast to flap backwards in an attempt to dodge the strike.

Yet, the spider simply responded by firing multiple volleys at Ivy and Majester. "_This isn't good! I have to take the risk. If Majester can cut through solid stone..." _she took a breath. "You can do it, Majester! Cut through the webbing with your claws!"

*Roar!* it went, before bolting forward and slicing at the attack, easily ripping the webbing to bits with blew off into the wind.

"_It worked,"_ Ivy smiled. "All right, boy, you see the two frogs?" She pointed at Maddie and Sprig, the duo now held firmly behind the spider's legs."I need you to cut them free!"

Majester gave a small nod, before corkscrewing down once more.

The Spider raised its claws to impale the duo as the approached, yet Ivy pointed. "Use Hyper-Cutter!" And with that, the beast simply sliced threw the bug's defenses, sending blood flowing out of its severed limbs for a moment.

After that it pushed itself upright and easily sliced through the web cocoons that held her friend and rival. "_Sprig will hate me if I let Maddie get eaten… after all, she's his friend too,"_ allowing Ivy catch them both before they boosted forward and took a sharp upwards turn. "Time to end this! Go, Final Inferno!"

With that, Majester climbed as high up as it could, before spreading its wings and hovering for a moment. After that, it enveloped itself in magical flames, engulfing everyone, before it pushed forward and aimed its beak, charging up a bit of light at its tip as he did so. "Fire!"

In response the Spider aimed up, raising its remaining claws and thorax in order to fire its own assault.

And in the next moment, the two attacks collided, only for the winged-beast's to easily overcome its opponent, engulfing the spider in a column of green light.

When the dust settled, all that remained of the once fearsome insect was a pile of dust.

"Mission accomplished!" Ivy declared as Majester landed, allowing her to drop off Sprig and Maddie. Quickly, Ivy's pet beast sliced open the cocoons, releasing the two captives. "Are you guys all right?" she quickly asked, wasting no time to check Sprig for injuries.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the boy blushed. "Thanks to you."

"Yeah..." Maddie looked away, rubbing her arm awkwardly and blushing as she did so. "Thanks, Ivy."

"No problem," the young girl gave a wide, before patting the beast. "Meet my friend Majester, the creature I brought back just for you, Sprig! And the most awesome I could find!"

The boy's eyes lit up with excitement. "Whoa! He's so cool! What is he?"

"Well, I'll be! Haha! You managed to find a dragon-griffin!" Hopadiah walked over and chuckled. "Those things are rare and dangerous! But fiercely loyal once you tame em."

Ivy nodded, before raising her hand, and as if by training, Majester kneaded before her and pushed his head into her hand. "I fought him in his lair, but once I started riding him, he began to obey me. I also started feeding him bugs and squirrels, he likes the taste."

"Good job, Ivy," Hop Pop pat her on the back, before turning to Sprig. "So, who do you think gave you the better gift?"

The boy paused, before taking a breath, turning and taking Maddie's hands in his own. "Maddie, I really loved your gift at first..."

She blushed for a moment, before looking away, already knowing what was to come.

"But... it did try to eat me," he turned back to Ivy. "And while I found that cute ball of hair cute, I've gotta admit: that dragon-griffin is awesome," he looked into her eyes, before letting go and putting an arm around Ivy. "So because of that, I say that Ivy wins this one!"

"All right then!" Hopadiah declared. "That's one point for Maddie and one point for Ivy! The tie breaker challenge is in another two hours, this time at Wartwood theater! Bring your best clothes because... we're gonna have a dance off!"

And with that, Ivy and Maddie nodded, before heading off while Majester flew off back to where he came from, leaving Sprig to clutch his chest for a moment.

"Something bothering you, son?" Hop Pop placed a hand on his grandson's shoulder.

In response, Sprig looked up at the two girls, before beginning to tear up, though he put a smile on. "Nope, I'm all right!" He wiped his face before stepping forward.. "Come on, let's set up! I've gotta dance with both of them, right?"

"Yes," and in response, the old man shook his head and followed. "_There's more to it than that."_

_ **Meanwhile…** _

"Almost there, Anne! Just hang in there!" Polly struggled to say as she dragged the suffering Anne by her shirt.

"Ugh," she groaned. Thankfully she was pushing herself along the ground with her feet, while she used her right hand to climb along and her left hand to hold her pelvis.

"How are the leaves doing?" Polly tiredly asked, pulling Anne up to a nearby bush as she did so, in order to give the girl some privacy.

Quickly the ailing woman looked down, taking note of the small red spot staining her skirt. "Looks like they're holding for now," she took a breath. "Polly let me try standing up again."

"You sure?" The young girl looked back, concern filling her eyes. "I don't wanna see you fall down again. With all that bleeding I don't think getting injured is a good idea too."

Yet, the human girl nodded. "Yeah," she took a breath and turned, before forcing herself upright. For a moment, Polly held her flippers out, ready to catch Anne if another one of her cramps would cause her to fall down again.

And yet, one didn't come, allowing Anne to breathe a sigh of relief. "All right, I think I'll be fine for a bit... hopefully long enough to get the cotton from that plant and just... ya know, gently push it in me."

Polly nodded, before pushing through the bushes with Anne following soon after. "There it is, Anne! That's the plant that's gonna help you calm down and stop making a mess!"

"I am not making a mess!" The young woman snapped.

"It's a shame we can't find something to fix your mood swings," she shook her head. "But it'll work for now."

With that, Anne looked ahead. From what she could tell, a massive flower poked up in the forest clearing with several smaller flowers surrounding them. However, while the plants around it seemed lifeless, the animals that surrounded it seemed to be connected to its roots.

The animals were cotton-like, as if the plant raked had taken over each and every one of them.

"This looks serious," the young girl squinted her eyes, trying to analyze the situation. "We should-"

"Charge!" Anne cut her off, wasting no time to bolt from cover.

Hormone-fueled rage filled her eyes for a moment, before she raised her fists and sent it flying, straight into the head of a cotton animal... which simples looked at her in confusion.

"Grr! Come on!" She shouted, before sending another fist into the animal, only for the continue looking at obliviously. "It's like my punches have no effect!"

Upon her third and fourth strikes the animal began to realize exactly what was going on, and by the fifth attack... another one of the cottony animals came up and tackled Anne's side, sending her flying into a nearby tree, now defeated.

"Anne!" Polly rushes over to her friend. "Are you all right?!"

"Yeah, I just got sent into a tree, of course I'm alright!" she snapped back.

"Right, sorry," Polly rubbed the back of her head, before turning around. "_Let's see, I'm gonna have to-"_

*sniffle*

Instantly Polly turned around, only for Anne to scoop her into her arms. "I'm sorry Polly!" With that, she began to bawl her eyes out, prompting Polly to pat her cheek. "Hey, don't worry Anne, I get it. Us girls gotta stay together! We can beat them easily if we work together."

"But how?!" The young woman held her close while crying into her bow… only to blow into it as if it were a tissue. "That thing sent me flying!" *Sniffle*

"Well… I mean you did charge at it without me," the tadpole rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

Anne glared at her. "What?! Are you saying I can't fight fluffy animals on my own?!"

Frustration filled Polly's body, and yet, she took a breath to calm down. "_I can't get angry. It's just Anne's hormones acting up,"_ she looked into her eyes. "You can, if there was one, but there are just too many of them right now. You can't take them all out on your own."

For a moment, Anne paused allowing Polly's words to bounce around her mind for a moment, before she smiled and put her down. "All right, so we have to beat those animals to get the cotton I need for my issues, any ideas?"

Polly rubbed her chin, before pulling out her mace. "Blind rage!" before she pointed at her companion. "But this time, together!"

And though she would usually object to such an idea, especially given what just happened, Anne smiled and placed Polly on the ground. "Ya know what, screw it!" she raised her arms. "Blind rage!" And with that, they rushed the animals again.

This time however, the animals turned and stood their ground, ready to defend the plant that had created them.

"Polly! Get the plant! I'll take care of these guys!" Anne grabbed the tadpole and threw her, before two bull-like cotton monsters rushed forward. However, this time, the young woman steeled herself and held her arm out, a burst of anger-inducing hormones surging through her.

And in the next moment, the cotton bulls were stopped, with Anne holding them back. "Gotcha! Polly, the plant!"

"On it!" the young girl replied, before slicing off a small portion, just enough to satisfy Anne's needs for the time being. "Haha! Got it!"

"Haha, great!" Anne replied, before looking around, the animal guardians now focused solely on them. "Because it looks like we're gonna have to fight our way out of here!"

"Well then, let's go!" Polly shouted, before jumping from the plant's base and spinning in the air, crashing down upon one of the cotton guards. "Come on Anne!"

The young teen nodded, before rushing forward tackling the ones in her way. "All right! On my way!"

And in the next moment, the duo rushed away from the clearing, with the guards hot on their tail. Though given their… rather soft builds, the beasts get caught in the thick brush in their way allowing Anne and Polly to escape.

"Did we lose them?" Anne asked, and Polly looked back, before shaking her head. "Nope, those animals were pretty docile until we actually started grabbing for the cotton."

Anne shrugged, before taking a seat on the dirt. "Well, since the coast is clear, I think it's just about time to finally deal with the bleeding problem."

Polly tilted her head. "How though? I mean… are you just gonna shove it in you or something?"

"Exactly," The young woman responded, before rolling up the cotton, removing a portion of it, and pulling up her skirt. At this point the leaves she had been using were now soaked with her blood. "_But not for long!"_ with that, she took the makeshift pad out her panties, placed the tips of two of her fingers on the sides of her slit. Then, without hesitation, she shoved the roll of cotton into her opening, eliciting a moan from the girl as her knees trembled in ecstasy... while the younger girl just stood by in slight confusion.

"So uhh... I don't have that… thing between my legs… I also don't have legs," Polly rubbed her head awkwardly. "How does it work?"

"Heh, and I thought you didn't wanna hear about mating and stuff," Anne chuckled.

"From the boys!" she replied. "They're always talking about how their stuff works! I wanna talk to another girl about how my stuff works!" she twiddled her flippers. "Or at least how it should work."

The young woman smiled, and rubbed Pully's head. "Well then sure, I'll tell you how humans do it, though I doubt it's similar to frogs. For that I think you're gonna have to ask Ivy or Maddie or someone."

"I don't care!" Polly jumped up to hug Anne. "Thanks! You're the best sister ever! I love you!"

"You too, Polly-" Anne started Before a cramp rippled through her abdomen. "Ugh!" She doubled over. "Pain!"

The tadpole quickly rubbed her chin and pointed. "Anne, there's a plant we can use for that over there! Come on!"

And with that, they began to make their way forward once again.

From ΩU: 15-14-23-1-18-4-19 1-15-19-8-9-13-1! 5-18-18... 9 13-5-1-14 13-1-10-5-19-20-5-18!

From EMK46: 19-15 3-15-20-20-15-14 13-1-11-5-19 1-14 5-6-6-5-3-20-9-22-5 7-21-1-18-4. 8-21-8. 23-8-15 11-14-5-23?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from Omega: Ok so as I write this, Epsilon got me to laugh with his pun. So yeah, finally some action with magic and monsters! All we're missing is the part where someone admits their undying love for- Wait we did that lol. We're just waiting on Sprig to make his choice! A way better love story than twilight!
> 
> A/N from Epsilon: Well, well, welly well. Looks like we're neck and neck, folks. With both of our ladies at one point a piece, who will come out on top. Which heart will Sprig break and which behind will he plow? Find out next time! …..Maybe!


	4. Dance Dance Dissolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from Epsilon: Well, here we are, ladies and germs. The final showdown. The coup de grâce. The time has come to decide who shall get ship validation and who shall get sunk like the Titanic. ….Or is it? Nah, I’m kidding. …..Or am I? ……..Anyways, read on, people!
> 
> A/N What Epsilon said. Here we go! One more contest and the revelation of who’ll get to mate with Sprig! Written by Epsilon! Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 4: Dance Dance Dissolution

As the moon rose over the town of Wartwood, the lights of the theater shined bright, as the stumps of the audience were all filled to the brim with the town's residents. Most of the stumps still were left vacant, except this time around, there were a few noteworthy attendees who simply wouldn't take up the chance to see the upcoming performance. Those were Sylvia and Felicia Sundew, along with Chef Flour, the two parties sitting far away from each other out of respect for not wanting to tear each other to shreds. When they'd heard that their daughters were caught in a tie for the right to be Sprig's mate, and that the final challenge was a very special dance off, each of them jumped at the chance to be able to see their beloved children in action. And so there they were, eagerly watching the vacant stage, waiting for someone to appear.

And so someone did, as Hopadiah, dressed in his signature tuxedo, walked towards the center of the stage, his book of mating rituals tucked under his arm.

"Howdy, folks!" Hop Pop greeted with a big smile and a wave. "I'd personally like to thank the three of you for coming out here! ….Especially you, Sylvia~"

Sylvia gave a flirtatious wave, taking care to wiggle her fingers in response.

"Now, as you all are no doubt aware, our kids are smack dab in the middle of a tiebreaking final challenge. There was quite a bit of competition brought out between the two competitors, and their skill was quite evenly-"

"Get on with it, Plantar!" Chef Flour shouted.

"O-Okay then…" Hop Pop mused. "In any case, here we are at our final challenge: a dance off for the ages!" He then grabbed hold of his book and turned it to the final page of the competition chapter. "When all else fails, and beating hearts are left on the rails, the perfect way to go is to put on one heck of a show! If the competition is not settled after that... then we don't know what will."

The elder frog looked a bit surprised at the last sentence. "Hmm, guess those ancient folk just ran outta rhymes. In any case, this final challenge is mighty simple: all Ivy and Maddie need to do is take Sprig out onto the dance floor and boogie like there's no tomorrow! There'll be no limits on what dance they choose to perform, just as long as they don't put their potential mate in any sort of mortal danger. In addition, the judge himself was not allowed to be part of any rehearsals the two girls partook in, because the true purpose of this challenge is to showcase the chemistry between partners, and testing just how much their hearts can mingle and meld together as one without prep.

"You mean like how the two of us dance?" Sylvia teased, Felicia looking away from her in embarrassment.

"Haha, sure as rain," Hop Pop replied with a laugh. "But anyways, in a few moments, the three of you will get to observe for yourselves just how strong the bonds are between Sprig and our contestants, and who will eventually emerge on top. So sit tight, ladies and gentlemen, because the show is gonna start soon!" And with a bow, he made his way towards the sidelines, and once he was out of the audience's sight, he let out a large sigh.

"Ya done it again, Hopadiah," he thought out loud. "And you even managed to keep your cool around your lady for once!"

"Speak for yourself, Hop Pop," a voice rang out near him, to which the orange frog turned his head towards Sprig, who was fiddling with the collar of his suit and struggling to fasten each of his buttons. Not to mention, he was sweating up a flood from his forehead alone. "I'm gonna have to go out and dance with two of my bestest friends, and then I've gotta pick one to mate with!"

"Oh, yeah…" his grandfather consoled, taking the time to sit down next to him. "And I suppose you're nervous that you might just botch up the dancing part every step of the way."

"No, I've already accepted that I'm gonna stink at that an hour ago," Sprig said, looking down to the floor and clutching his arms tight. "I'm just so scared what will happen after tonight."

"You mean...after you pick your mate?"

Sprig nodded solemnly. "I know our plan was for me to pick Ivy throughout all of these tests, and I really tried my hardest to do that… But now I'm just so confused."

"Hmm?" Hop Pop curiously mumbled. "Confused about what?"

"About Maddie!" Sprig snapped, turning to his caretaker with trembling lips and watery eyes. "All throughout this whole fight, she's done nothing but do her very best to make me feel loved. And all this time, the plan has just been slowly drifting out of my head because of all that. I really do like Ivy, it's just that-"

"You're starting to grow feelings for Maddie at the same time?" Hop Pop softly spoke.

"W-Well, not exactly… I-It's just that- A-Actually, I…" the pink frog stammered before gripping the sides of his head and pulling his hat over his eyes. "I don't know! I just don't know anything anymore! And what'll happen if I don't figure it all out after the dance!? What if I have so much fun with _both_ of them and I just can't pick one?! _What if one of them hates me forever because I picked the other!?_" That was all he could coherently speak before his breaths grew into rapid gasps.

"H-Hey, hey now, Sprig," Hop Pop soothingly said. "I'm sure that neither of them are gonna hate you. Give 'em a little bit more credit than that."

"B-But no matter what I choose, I'm gonna be letting one of them down so badly. I-I don't really know if I can even bring myself to do that to either of them."

"Eegh, that does sound mighty bad when you put it that way," Hopadiah confessed, looking like he's running out of things to say to Sprig, "but you have to admit, having these two great girls fighting over you. And in all honesty, there really isn't much of a reason for you to be worrying all that much if you like both of them."

Growing more and more exasperated, Sprig blasted: "You don't get it! Nobody in this town knows the position I'm in! I don't even think there _is_ anyone else who's had more than one mate before!" All he could do then was bury his face into his legs. But that was when he was startled beyond belief, at the sound of his grandfather howling with laughter. "Wh-What are you laughing a-"

"Hahahahaha! You are too funny, Sprig!" Hop Pop leaned forward in laughter, before slapping his grandson on the back with a little bit more force than he intended. "You've got no idea the amount of legends and stories we've got floating around this town!"

"Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how there _was_ somebody who had ten times more mates than you!" he continued, still trying to compose himself from his exuberant laughter.

"Are you… Are you serious?" Sprig asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yep!" Hopadiah chimed, taking a deep breath to calm himself down before draping his arm around Sprig's shoulder. "My boy, let me tell you about the tale of Ol' Lincoln Fraug. But before I do, I want you to promise me one thing." Hop Pop's face began to grow abnormally stern, before he looked Sprig dead in the eye. "Do not even try to replicate what he did in this story. I want you to make a solemn promise you will never, EVER try any of what you hear out in the real world. **Ever**!"

"O-Okay…" Sprig stammered, starting to sweat once again.

"Excellent!" Hop Pop cheered, his serious expression returning to a jovial smile. "Then let's begin. When you were a wee little tadpole, there was once an orange frog with white hair that was just about your age. In terms of how he was, he always thought of himself as "The Frog with the Plan" even though half of the time, his plans would get him into all kinds of trouble!" he gave a nostalgic chuckle and continued. "But there was something really special about that frog that every single male knew but could never really explain: he was the catch of the town! Everywhere he walked, every single woman he greeted would always, without fail, inexplicably fall head over webbed feet for him. Even all of his ten sisters!"

"Wait, wh-wha-" Sprig squinted an eye and tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, he was a bit of a freak in that sense. Now, for the longest time, it was all completely innocent flirting with some kissy faces all pointed towards him when he was still a youngun. …But then… Then he reached the age in which he could finally participate in the mating season!" Hopadiah's voice fell downcast. "At first, he was so excited to at last be able to mate with all of them… but when they all found out about his newfound maturity..." Hop Pop stopped for a moment, staring off blankly into the wall. "...Well, let's just say… it was _ugly._"

He then shut his eyes, as his whole body began to shiver from a barrage of flashbacks that all depicted the sound of war cries and air raid sirens filling the air while a blazing inferno rampaged through all of Wartwood. Sprig sensed the fear in his grimace and began to grow more and more concerned.

"What...what happened after that mating season…?"

At the sound of his query, Hop Pop slowly opened his eyes and turned back towards him. "Eggs, Sprig. Eggs, _everywhere_. 1,452 of 'em. All hatching and crying out at once…"

After that, the room fell into a deafening silence.

"...So! The moral of this story is, you may have two frogs fighting over ya, but think of it this way," Hop Pop then grabbed hold of Sprig's cheeks and pushed his face right into his. "_You only have two of 'em fighting for you."_

They looked at each other for a moment after that.

"That didn't help you one bit, did it?" Flatly asked.

"Nope. Not at all."

"Ah well, still was pretty nice to finally get that off my chest," Hop Pop laughed. "But back to my earlier point. The whole reason you started this whole debacle in the first place was because you didn't really want to mate with Maddie, right?"

"Yeah…" Sprig said.

"But now things have changed between the two of you and you're having second thoughts about the love of your life."

"What's your point, Hop Pop?"

The elder frog looked down towards Sprig and placed a comforting hand upon his shoulder. "I'm saying that this competition was born long ago and is really just one of our sacred traditions. But the real thing to remember is that no contest or code of honor can ever account for the fact that love is a real fickle mistress, and every time you think you've got it all figured out, the universe just comes around and smacks you across the face."

"I… I know," the goggle-wearing boy lamented, "but didn't you say that people wouldn't feel bad for me because of some shared sense of commitment or something?"

"Well, that was before the contest was ever declared. And now that it has, you really have no limitations on who you can choose!" Hop Pop smiled. "And the way I see it, those two ladies really do care for ya, Sprig, and both of them would be mighty fine choices to be your first mate. All you can really do now is just have fun with the dancing tonight, and you can let your heart decide who you like best."

Sprig popped a chuckle. "Says the guy who wanted me to cheat on my fiance just to gain a quick buck."

The two then shared a laugh. "Now there's my happy boy!" Hopadiah cheered. "And really, Maddie said herself that you still wouldn't have to marry her even if you chose to mate with her, so what do you have to worry about?"

Sprig mulled it over for a moment, twiddling his fingers as he did so, and all he could say at the end was: "I'm… not entirely sure…"

"And there you have it!" he added. "You three may finally be old enough to mate, but you're still just kids! There's not a whole lot of sense in thinking about how this decision is gonna affect the rest of your life. So why don't you just head on out there and just do what you do best!"

Hopping up into the air and standing tall, Sprig said back: "Run into danger and hope for the best?!"

"BINGO! Now go get 'em, my boy!"

Letting out a "Yeah!", Sprig waved Hop Pop goodbye and bolted off towards the center stage. '_I can do this! I can do this!'_ he encouraged himself, seeming like there was nothing that could diminish his newfound spirit. But then, that all changed when the stage suddenly went dark, followed by a spotlight falling upon him to illuminate the night. Instantly, the boy's feet grew cold while his courage vanished in an instant. Without notice, another spotlight shone down from the skylight, as Sprig looked towards its goal: Ivy Sundew waiting in the opposite sideline.

She seemed nonchalant about the contest, given by the soft, reassuring smile she ported as well as the tattered hat he had given her all those years ago. But what really stuck out to Sprig about her was how she was dressed in a tuxedo very akin to his own. In fact, he'd even dare say that she looked quite handsome, even if he thought it to be a bit weird to call a girl that. Yet before he could even contemplate that matter, he was smitten with how Ivy strutted onto the stage and spun around before posing like a star right on his side.

"Hey, Sprig," she greeted, before extending her hand to her friend. "Shall I have this dance?"

Shuddering at the sight of her dancing with such energy, and fearing whatever she had planned, Sprig gulped, took her hand, and said: "S-Sure thing, Ivyyyyyyy!"

He then yelped at the force of him being pulled up right towards her, his face a mere inch from her own, as she leaned in and whispered into his ear: "Then let's go, lover boy."

Ivy then flung him away from her, their hands still intertwined, as she raised her arm up and twirled Sprig around and around in circles. Then she let him loose, as he spun around like a top while Ivy leapt into the air and twirled around before landing on the other side of her partner and snatching his hand once more and ceasing his spiral, Sprig's eyes twirling around as his heart pounded from the sheer surprise of his friend's energy. He was then snapped back to his senses at the sound of an upbeat jazz tune playing around him, as he turned his head towards the sidelines to see Hop Pop fiddling with Anne's phone and giving him two thumbs up. He then turned back to Ivy, as he found his foot tapping to the beat of the song that rang through his ears, a newfound sense of adrenaline surging through his body. And with a confident smirk, he pushed himself up, and swung his arm around her waist.

"Yeah… Let's dance, milady," he said, as he started to tap his feet all around the dance floor in an uncoordinated yet somehow eloquent fashion, as Ivy quickly and fluently followed suit and simply let her own feet do the talking. The two then went to town, dancing along to the upbeat nature of their ambiance without a single care in the world, as they snapped their fingers in unison, swinging their arms above their heads from side to side. Eventually, Ivy decided that she didn't feel satisfied with being on equal footing as her potential mate, and so decided to take things up a notch. With that, she stepped forward, and grabbed his shoulders. From there, she shuffled her feet right into Sprig's rhythmic tapping, as she tapped hers all about from under him, sending him stumbling backwards a bit before being hoisted into the air by the orange frog under his armpits.

"W-Whoa!" he exclaimed, merrily laughing. "I-Ivy, I think you might be getting kinda wild here!"

"Well, I can't let you have all the fun, now can I?" Ivy laughed along with him, before twirling him all around her until she couldn't, at which point she landed him back on the ground. But the moment she did so, she found herself being lifted by Sprig in the exact same manner, feeling the need to scream with excitement.

"That makes two of us!" Sprig yelled, before turning her 180 degrees, before his strength forced him to lower her, at which point _she_ lifted him back into the air for half a circle, and after that, Sprig lifted her back into the air. This continued on for a long while, as if their minds were in perfect sync, and their dance moves perfectly melded with each other's.

All the while, Felicia and Sylvia bobbed their shoulders around with the rhythm, while Chef Flour looked away with his arms crossed. But then, the baker was started by an exuberant Wally propping himself up on his shoulder.

"Woooooo! You go, ya crazy kids!" the vagrant cheered, causing the bitter frog to turn around and wrestle him off, only to look extra surprised to see that the previously barren stumps were beginning to fill up with the town's residents, whom were most likely drawn in by the sheer positivity coming from the stage, as everyone there had their eyes locked on the duo's childlike and energetic dance. Though probably also due to tiring themselves out with the season's festivities. But all Chef Flour did was chuckle to himself mischievously. '_Just you wait, people. If you all like this that much, you're going to adore what my little girl has planned.'_

Back on the stage, Ivy and Sprig were panting greatly, as they both sensed their staminas being depleted with every muscle they used and every brain cell they expended to keep up with their partner's dancing. But Ivy decided to go out with one heck of a bang, as he mustered up every last bit of her strength to perform one final trick, and as the song was nearing its end, the tomboy maintained her hold on Sprig, as he hastened her rotation of him exponentially, swinging around and around to her heart's content, and the boy's surprise. And then, all of a sudden, Ivy flung him straight into the air, the magenta frog laughing the entire way up. And just as he reached the apex of his launch at the very top of the curtains of the stage, Ivy stepped back a great deal, prepared herself a running start, and in all haste dashed forward, made a leaping somersault into the air, and caught Sprig as he was falling down, landing with her knees sliding against the wooden floor. And with the song finally reaching its final note, Ivy stood up, her knees shaking, as she shouted out to the now half filled crowd: "That's all, folks!"

And from her words, the audience exploded into a flurry of cheers and applause, as some of them even stood up for a standing ovation.

"We did it, Sprig! That was so much fun!" Ivy exuberantly cheered with a squeal, before lowering her arms and resisting the urge to faint.

"Ahh, hahahahaha! Gravity, what's that?!" Sprig laughed in a slightly manic fashion, still recovering from Ivy's creative final move, before finding himself being pulled into a tight embrace on behalf of her, after which he couldn't resist the urge to hug her tightly in return. But even in his hyperactive state, he could still yelp in surprise when she felt her hands reach down and grab a quick squeeze of his rump, causing him to go: "Uuuhhh...Ivy?"

Blushing like mad, Ivy broke away from the hug. "O-Oh, sorry. Mating season hormones, y'know?"

"Hey, now. Who said I was against it?" Sprig teased, causing Ivy to let out a cackle before socking him in the arm. But in the midst of their playful merriment, they both felt a shiver roll down their spines when the stage went pitch black, as the two of them looked around to see what had caused such a thing. They then noticed a soft piano playing in the background, as Sprig looked back towards Hop Pop to see him fiddling with Anne's phone again, and once he had finished, a classical tune radiated out of its speakers. And from there, right at Hop Pop's side, the pure light of the moon bathed the sideline, allowing none other than Maddie Flour to be visible to both Sprig and Ivy.

And with yet another surprised to the goggle wearing frog, Maddie was adorned in a dress very similar to that of a ballerina, with a color scheme consisting of dark and light blues decorating the body, and a purple hem line, all complimented by a petite tiara atop her hair, which was even fitted with numerous stars that sparkled in the moonlight. The sight of such a girl made Sprig completely smitten with her, as he started to feel his jaw drop to his chest. All the while, Ivy, though she could not directly see him in the dark, could sense just what he was feeling. Yet before she could even say a word, she felt a bag tap along the toes of one of her feet, as she immediately looked up to see Maddie holding another bag over her head, before witnessing her throw it on the floor at her own feet and being engulfed in a pink cloud of smoke. Swatting it away and coughing like crazy, the mist eventually cleared away, but to her surprise, she was now at Hopadiah's side, and Maddie had teleported right in front of her special friend.

"Hi, Sprig…" the magician whispered, her hands clasped together near her stomach, and her one visible eye deadlocked with Sprig's. "Shall I have this dance?"

Left in his awestruck state, he could do little more than mutter: "M-Maddie… You…. Y-You're…"

"Shhh…" she whispered, taking one of her hands and lacing is into one of his. "You don't need to speak. Allow me to borrow your heart for the night."

The music then chimed in with an angelic harp, along with the piano, as Maddie grabbed Sprig's other hand and carefully guided around her waist. From there, she made the first move, and guided Sprig along the way as they made small steps around the dance floor, all while she swayed him back and forth within her firm yet loving hold. And even though the boy didn't have the slightest clue how to really dance outside of a practical joke, he found himself not even being the slightest bit nervous in her company. It was almost as if her slow and careful moves, which were a sharp contrast with Ivy's dancing, gave him a sense of warmth and comfort, one that couldn't be replicated with anyone else. Throughout their dance, his adrenaline rush from before had vanished entirely, and now Sprig only allowed his heart to beat softly in the night, his muscles let go of themselves, as he smiled at Maddie, who in turn smiled back, as the two of them continued on with their dance.

All the while, Ivy looked upon the scene with jealousy and anger. "Wh-Why is Sprig enjoying this…? What about our plan?" She then sharply turned her head to Hopadiah, hoping that he'd be able to give her some wisdom. Yet to her sorrow, Hop Pop only gave her a sombre look in response to her pleas.

"Sometimes, life just happens, Ivy," he said. "There ain't really no way we can control how we feel about others, and how others feel about you."

"Y-Yeah, b-but I thought that Sprig and I-" Before Ivy could finish, however, she took notice towards the audience, as her brow began to sweat at the sight of the remaining stumps becoming occupied one by one, as each of them peered at the couple on stage with a look of mesmerization and sheer awe. But then, everyone let out a collective gasp, as Ivy looked back towards Sprig and Maddie to see that another batch of pink mist began to form all around them both. And then, right before everyone's eyes, the two of them began to float in the air, and as they reached the top of the stage, the stars shining above them, the crowd let out a plethora of "Oohs" and "Aahs", while Ivy's pupils dilated at such a sight.

"S-Sprig… N-No…" she muttered to herself, almost shedding a tear.

Back in the sky, the music in the background began to grow in intensity and volume, as the two dancers extended away from each other, while Sprig raised his arm and twirled Maddie right under it. They both felt that there was no need for flair or fancy shenanigans, for the stars above provided all the excitement they needed. But even so, Maddie leaned in and whispered to Sprig: "I'm going to let go now…"

"Wh-What?" Sprig stammered. "Wait, but how am I gonna-"

"Trust me. I would never let you get hurt," Maddie soothed, causing the boy to blush greatly, before sensing his fingers leave her soft hands. And as she let go, her spell began to wear off, as the two of them started to lower back towards the ground. And while Sprig stumbled in his zero gravity state for the briefest of moments, he simply went with the flow and drifted in his space the way down. He then noticed, Maddie gesturing a finger towards her, as he then took witness to her closing her eyes and spinning around in circles, which almost left him completely flustered, but he could tell what she wanted him to do. And with her subtle wish in mind, he began to twirl in place along with her, and the entire descent back to the stage was filled by their rhythmic and synchronic spins, before they drifted together as the song neared its conclusion, latching their hands together once again, and landing softly on the ground.

The two were then left in a fit of silence, as the final note of the piano played, leaving them both in silence.

"...Thank you," Maddie said, after which she brought herself closer to Sprig, before resting her head within his chest. And with that gesture, the crowd absolutely exploded with abundant applause and thunderous cheer, all while Sprig looked upon the scene and marveled at the sheer amount of frogs that showed up just for them. In fact, he'd even dare claim that the only ones who weren't in attendance were too busy mating away. The magician, however, cared not for her newfound admiration, for all that mattered to her right then was being in Sprig's caring arms.

"Wow!" Sprig exuberantly said, causing Maddie to look up at him. "I can't believe you were that great of a dancer, Maddie! I honestly thought you were gonna just do some kind of dark and brooding thing or something."

"Hahaha. Didn't I tell you that appearances aren't everything?" she replied with a teasing wink, as the two of them laughed out their pleasure together, while Sprig took the time to examine his partner. And as he did so, he found himself smitten by her adorable little smile as she nuzzled into his bosom, her pink hair glistening in the moonlight. And though he was a little ashamed to admit, he also couldn't help but gander beyond her head to her surprisingly curvy figure that she had. But that was when noticed just where he was looking, as he mentally gave his brain a slap, but to no avail. He couldn't help but start to stare at her behind, and something told him that this wasn't just because of hormones.

'_Oh, gosh…. I think I'm in love with her…!' _he dreaded internally, before both of them took notice of Hop Pop running towards them with Ivy not far in tow, the latter looking like she was the crossbreed of someone about to blow a gasket and another who was about to pee their pants.

"Well, boy, oh boy, look at the turnout we've gathered here tonight!" the elder frog shouted out into the crowd, eliciting a few cheers in return. "Now, I believe the time has come for our judge to decide the winner."

Sprig's eyes went wide at his grandfather's proclamation. "M-My...winner?" he tried to speak.

"Now that you've danced with both of our lovely competitors, who shall be your mate?!" Hop Pop interrupted. "The dashing and daring Ivy Sundew?" Half of the crowd cheered on, while Ivy snapped out of her conflicted state to give a smile and a wave towards Sprig. "Or the beautiful and mysterious Maddie Flour?" The other half of the crowd then cheered, as Maddie grinded one of her feet against the floor, her hands behind her back, as she looked towards Sprig with a slightly embarrassed look in her eyes. Hopadiah then extended "And now, without further ado, take your pick, Sprig!"

The magenta frog then looked towards the females standing right before him, as the cheering of the crowd all too suddenly became deafened in his mind, and the scenery around him faded into a black abyss, with only the light surrounding the two girls and himself becoming visible to him. He felt his heart pound and his teeth chatter, as he kept on darting his head back and forth between the two frogs that meant more to him than anyone in the world apart from his family. And now, in his eyes, he'd have to break one of their hearts. Sprig tried desperately to reflect on the advice that Hop Pop had given him before, but every time he did so, the fear from his circumstances and the weight of his soul managed to convince him that his words were nothing but the empty thoughts of an idealist. He then tried one last time to desperately fight off his newfound feelings for Maddie and instead bring himself to say a single word: "Ivy." But no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many times he brought all of the fun times they shared together into his head, his tongue got tied with every single syllable he tried to pronounce.

"I..I….Mm-aa….Iiimmaaa…. Mmmyyyy…" Sprig stutter out loud, his brain in complete shambles as Hop Pop looked over to him in complete concern.

"Uhhh, Sprig? What was that?" he said, only to receive garbled gibberish from Sprig, along with witnessing him sink down to his knees and press both of his hands into the side of his head. "Sprig… I know this is a tough choice and all, but you really oughta-"

"**I CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN'T!**" the turmoiled frog blared out into the night, causing everyone around him to grow absolutely silent, so much so that only the sound of Anne's phone falling onto the floor backstage could be heard. Ivy, Maddie, and Hop Pop looked at him with completely dumbfounded expressions, as Sprig realized what he had just blurted out, a wave of anxiety pouring through his emotional state. Desperate for a wave to save the least bit of face, he stood up, turned towards the audience, and tried his hardest to put on a confident smile.

"I-I mean..._I_ can't really make this decision all by myself," he spoke like he had hoped that death would spare him of such embarrassment, causing Hopadiah to look towards Sprig with a "WTF" look and the two girls to exchange worried glances. "And well, to show my token of gratitude for everyone who took the time out of their days to come here and watch our dances, I'm giving you all the authority to pick my mate instead!"

The silence of the entire venue somehow grew tenfold, as Hop Pop reeled back, his lips absolutely quivering. And when he began to notice the crowd slowly and eerily turn their heads towards one another, his pupils dilated into the size of atoms.

'_Oh, no… Not again!'_

_ **Meanwhile...** _

"And then, after the boy keeps on thrusting into the girl long enough, his dick starts to twitch inside her opening. And after that, SPLOOSH! He shoots out all of his sperm deep inside of her. And after some immediate regret, followed by tearful breakups, mood swings, weird cravings for pickled ice cream, and a bunch of other stuff I don't need to mention, nine months later, assuming nothing bad happens along the way, the girl gets sent to a hospital where she does what I can only describe as trying to push a bowling ball through a drinking straw with her vagina, and then ta da! A new baby is brought into the world!" Anne explained, carrying Polly on her shoulder, who had her flippers propping up her chin, as she herself looked like she was in intense thought.

"Hmmmmmmmmmm… Okay. Questions," she mused. "One, if all it takes to make the baby is when the guy shoots his...boy juice into the girl's belly, then what's the point of that 'blowjob' or any of that other stuff? Two, what exactly does the word 'fuck' mean? And three, what do you mean by, 'assuming nothing bad happens along the way'?"

"One, it's really just to have some fun," Anne responded, "but Marcy once told me that she does it to 'test', in a way, to see if the boys she brings home from whatever unspeakable places she finds them are worth the effort. And that brings me to one guy she was going to suck off, but he exploded the moment she just kissed his tip!" Bursting with laughter, she continued with: "He ended up getting so humiliated, he literally had to transfer to another school!"

"Hahahahaha! Not sure how that's all that funny, but hahahahahahaha!" Polly giggled.

"Ha haaa… hooooooo…. Anyways, two, I'm...actually not entirely sure myself. I think it's kind of the OG verb for basically sex in general, but everyone I've talked to just uses it as a buzzword whenever they get really angry or something like that."

"Oh, wow," the tadpole quipped, "now where has that word been throughout every single moment of my life!?" She and Anne then broke down into laughter once more, only this time Polly was much more enthused with the joke.

"That is a total mood," Anne cackled. "Okay, okay, so, number three…. Uhhh, that, um… That's actually kinda difficult to talk about…"

"Hah! Do you know who you're talking to?" Polly bragged, puffing out her body and placing her hands on her sides. "I think I can take anything you've got."

"Mmm, alright then," Anne said with a scratch of her head. "Well, sometimes when a girl gets pregnant, things can go wrong, whether it be their own fault or just because life happens… and the baby inside of her can simply...die… And then you'd have to scoop out their remains out of the mom."

Upon hearing that, Polly felt her pride diminish, as she sulked down while looking at Anne forlornly. "Oh… And...what do you know specifically about that…?"

"Nothing too much," she said, pointing her head towards the ground and frowning, "but Mom did once tell me that I was supposed to have a little brother..."

The two then fell into a sombre fit of silence for a time, before Anne perked up quite hastily. Whether or not this was a mood swing was debatable. "Whooo! Now that was needlessly depressing! Why don't we change the subject to that second plant we were gonna find?"

"Oh, right!" Polly chimed, thankful that Anne was the one to change the atmosphere around them. "Okay, so, there's this...I want to say it's a plant, but even that may be a bit of a stretch. So let's just say it's a...thing, yeah that's good, called the 'Snu Snu Beast' that lies within a place known only as the Droste Maze that's actually just on the other side of town. Legends say that those who've seen it never come back alive to tell the tale, but that it also spits out this very soothing cherry flavored liquid that once consumed, any pains are remedied." She then sported a determined look as she looked towards Wartwood. "And that's why we gotta take it head on and make it spill juice all over us!"

"Wait, wait, wait," Anne halted. "The 'Snu Snu Beast'? What, you mean that thing from the one joke I've been hearing all over the internet?"

"The what now joke?"

"Okay, so, it goes something like this. Three men are walking around in this forest when they- AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH!" Anne tried to speak before a cramp took hold of her, and she collapsed in pain upon the ground. "F-Forget it. Let's just go and find that thing and get me something to drink, alright?"

"You got it, sister!" Polly boldly said, before taking hold of the hem of her shirt and dragging her along the path back home. "Now let's move out!"

"Nnggggghhhhh, why am I the only one suffering this season?!" Anne whined, before the two of them were stopped dead in their tracks, as they both felt their mouths gape and metaphorically drop to the ground, their gazes fixated on what they saw coming from the middle of the town: a gigantic blue mushroom cloud that looked like it was freshly made mere seconds ago. Shortly afterwards, they flinched at the shockwave of the sound of a gigantic explosion that blasted straight towards them, and once it stopped, the duo were left in complete disbelief in what they'd bared witness to.

"I… stand corrected…" Anne dumbstruckly said, before noticing a trail of smoke pop out of the top of the mushroom cloud, as she followed it fly through the air, before screaming when she realized that it was headed right towards them. Fortunately, the projectile didn't land on top of them, instead crashing a few feet in front. The duo gazed upon the crash site in abundant curiosity, before none other than Wally, covered head to toe in black soot, sprang up from the dirt and laughed like a maniac before screaming: "SPRIGIVY FOR LIIIIIIIIIIFE!" all while he turned back towards Wartwood and ran straight into the fray, all while rendering Anne and Polly utterly speechless.

"...Oh, my gosh…." Polly whispered, before all too suddenly squealing like a teenage girl who'd just been invited to prom. "THE FINAL CHALLENGE IS A GLADIATOR BATTLE?! WE GOTTA SEE THIS!" She then hopped off of Anne's shoulder and dashed off towards the battlefield, leaving Anne to squirm around in pain.

"W-Waaaiiit…" she meekly said, before gravity finally reigned triumphant over her muscles, and her head fell into the dirt, only for Polly to come rushing back soon after.

"Oh, right, right, right, sorry, sorry," she apologized. "Okay, first we watch the carnage, and then we'll get your pain taken care of, okay?"

Hearing out only a muffle from the girl in response, Polly pulled up her head, placed herself firmly under it, and carried her with every bit of strength that she could muster, as they made their way inch by inch to the theater.

_ **Back at the stage…** _

Sprig looked upon what transpired before him with shuddering lips and a queasy stomach at the all out brawl within the townsfolk, caused by his hand. A crowd once bound together by their dances were now brutalizing each other over which competitor would better suit Sprig for a mating partner, with some being more dangerous than others. A few frogs had become straddled by their opponents, their teeth being pulled on like horse reins. Others clashed with weapons ranging from ordinary kitchen utensils to fully fledged weapons of warfare such as knives and even maces. And then there were two intellectuals who were in the way back talking and arguing through their theories on which female would be the better mate. But even they were seething behind their calm demeanors thinking of diabolical ways to kill the other without attracting the attention of the police. All the while, Hopadiah stood a few feet away from Sprig, flailing his arms around in the air and trying frantically to quell the battle.

"STOP IT! STOP IT, YOU ANIMALS!" he screamed. "REMEMBER FRAUG! REMEMBER FRAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUG!" After his brief and futile tirade, he could only raise his hands and arms upwards towards the sky as his knees sank into the wooden stage. His grandson, on the other hand, couldn't even do that. Instead, all he could do was feel his lips whimper in shame, as his limbs because subconsciously paralyzed at the terror he'd wrought onto Wartwood. And in his mind, it was all because he just couldn't decide who to mate with. At the same time, Ivy and Maddie both stood behind them, the former looking particularly angry with what had just transpired before her.

"...I can't believe you," she muttered, before stomping forward to Sprig. "Why don't I teach you a piece of my mind, you little-"

"Wait!" Maddie grabbed Ivy's arm, causing her to turn around and give her a glare. "I think something's horribly wrong here."

"Hah! You think?!" Ivy sarcastically laughed.

"No, I mean...I think Sprig is in some kind of deep emotional turmoil…"

Hearing that made Ivy loosen her angered burrow, if only ever so slightly. "What are you talking about? What kind of 'emotional turmoil'?"

Maddie then looked at her with a guilty expression. "It may be because of both of us and our contest that he's so conflicted with choosing his mate…"

With that line, the tomboy's eyebrows sprang up. "You mean...he might just love both of us equally now?" Maddie only nodded.

"...Maybe we should try to ease his pain…"

Ivy looked over to him, and then over her shoulder with still angered brows coating her eyes, as she turned back towards the blue magician. "Alright, but I still reserve my right to be ticked off about all this," she agreed, as the two slowly walked towards the depressed boy, placing a hand on his shoulder once she reached his side. "Sprig? What's going on with-"

"I'm sorry…" the goggled frog interrupted, looking down towards the ground.

"Wh-What…?" Ivy said, growing worried for her friend. But then she gasped when he wriggled out of her grasp as he turned around to her and Maddie with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, you guys!" he bawled, before clenching his eyes shut and sprinting off the stage and away from the theater, off into the forest as fast as his legs could possibly take him. The girls felt their hearts quiver with fear, both knowing fully well what was in his direction.

"SPRIG, NO! COME BACK!" they both yelled over each other, before jumping off the stage and giving chase after him, something in which Hop Pop took notice of almost immediately. But once he realized where they were headed, and when he remembered the only place that was in that part of the forest, he gasped in sheer horror, as he turned towards the raging crowd once more, determined to stop the fighting once and for all. "EVERYONE! WE HAVE TO HELP THE KIDS! THEY'RE HEADED TOWARDS THE _DROSTE MAZE!_"

His last two words seemed to echo out into the night, as the mob almost instantly halted dead in their tracks, some almost about to strike one of their fellow citizens down with rolling pins, with Felicia, Sylvia, and Chef Flour looking particularly mortified. But even so, everyone could only stand there in complete shock, trying to make sense of what was happening around them. That was until the heard the exhausted gasps for air of a certain little tadpole looking like she was about to collapse carrying her human companion on her shoulders. Once she finally made it to everyone else, she tumbled over with her body facing upwards.

"DiD wE mAkE iT?" Polly jumbled, flailing around like a loony, only to look around her in the midst of her incessant gasps for oxygen to find that everyone had stopped fighting already. "Awww, fuck! We missed everything!"

"Kids! Where in the wide world have you two been!?" Hop Pop interrogated, before taking a particular look at Anne, who looked like she was on the verge of crying her heart out while clutching her pelvis in pain. "And why does Anne look like she's living through the worst kind of torture in Amphibia?"

"Oh...oh, yeah, that," Polly replied. "Y'know that whole period thing Anne told us about? Yeah, it got a whole lot worse with a bunch of really painful sounding cramps and a ton more of her blood being spilt. So we went over to find some cotton…"temptons" I think she called them, and then we came back here to find something for her cramps."

"Well, we can deal with that later! No offense, Anne," Hop Pop asserted. "Right now, we have to help out Sprig and the others! They all headed off directly towards the Droste Maze, and we absolutely cannot let them even a step into it!"

"Ooooooh, what a coincidence!" Polly laughed. "We were about to head there to go find this thing called the Snu Snu Plant."

"Are you kidding me?!" he sputtered. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to even step foot in that maze? Aside from all the horrible monsters that lurk in there, that place is outfitted with a magical curse that is designed to entrap all who even so much as enter one of its hallways. Once you step in there, you'll never get out! And now the kids are going to head right in there!"

"Wh-WHAT?!" Anne sprang up, powering through her pain and taking up a running position, causing Polly to jump and yelp in surprise. "Then we have to go find them now! Come on, Plantars! We've got some frogs to save!" She then yelled out a war cry, as she made a mad dash towards the opposite direction in which the young frogs headed.

"Uhh, the maze is that way, Anne…" Hop Pop pointed out, turning his finger towards the South entrance into the forest, causing Anne to turn around and sprint that way, her spirit not faltering in the slightest.

"...yeah, she's also got some of those mood swings too…" Polly said, turning towards her grandpa.

"Noted," he said, before turning towards everyone else who had attended the dance show. "As for the rest of ya, you're all fired from being interim judges. Now, c'mon Polly!" The tadpole then leaped onto Hop Pop's head, as the two then hastily followed suit after the fleeing frogs and the war hungry human.

"...Hmmmm…. So what were we fighting over again?" the blue wood carver said, scratching his head, with the rest of the audience mulling over the same thing.

From EMK46: 20-8-9-19 9-19 5-9-20-8-5-18 7-15-9-14-7 20-15 5-14-4 9-14 8-15-20 18-15-13-1-14-3-5 15-18 3-15-13-16-12-5-20-5 4-9-19-1-19-20-5-18. 14-15-20-8-9-14-7 9-14 2-5-20-23-5-5-14.

From ΩU: 9-20 12-15-15-11-19 12-9-11-5 23-1-18-20-23-15-15-4 9-19 6-9-12-12-5-4 23-9-20-8 20-8-5 23-15-18-12-4-'19 2-5-19-20 3-15-14-6-12-9-3-20 18-5-19-15-12-21-20-9-15-14 20-5-1-13! 15-14-12-25 6-15-21-18 8-21-14-4-18-5-4 1-14-4 20-23-5-14-20-25 6-9-18-5-19 1-14-4 19-9-24-20-25 14-9-14-5 6-9-7-8-20-19!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from Epsilon: Ahhhhh, you all didn’t think it was gonna end that smoothly, did ya? Welp, looks as if Sprig is in for a world of hurt now! …..Or is he? :P  
  
Also, yes, that was a Loud House joke I put in there. And yes, it was permanently stapled onto your nose without pity or mercy. And no, I do not regret typing a single letter of it. XD
> 
> A/N from Omega I won’t lie, I laughed my arse off when I first read that scene. It was so worth it. Now if only I could find a way to through in a nod to star vs, or Gravity Falls… Nah, I’d probably reference Dante’s Inferno before I got to joking about those two.


	5. Sprig's Dungeon of Heartbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hey guys! And welcome to the last chapter I’m gonna be writing for this story! (Epsilon is writing the last one). Time to see what happens when you give a maze to a sad frog boy and put a deadly, carnivorous plant at its center! Also, props to whoever can find out where the inscription above the door comes from! I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> A/N from Epsilon: Welcome back, gentlemen! You’re just in time to see shit hitting the fan even more than it already has, as we approach the final boss of this story before we get to the part where our hero receives his luscious prize. But who shall be his mate in the end? And will anyone even survive until they even get to the bedroom? Find out right now!

Chapter 5: Sprig's Dungeon of Heartbreak

_ “I… I just have to get away!” _ Sprig’s mind rushed as he pushed his way through the vegetation and rocks in his way. “I… I need to find a place to think! I just… I can’t pick between them! Not yet!” Salty tears forced their way down his cheeks. With that, he quickly looked back, checking if he was being followed… only for his foot to get caught on a loose stone, sending the frog boy falling face-first into the dirt below him. “oof!”

“Well… this could’ve gone better,” he tiredly rubbed his aching head, before leaning back, allowing his back to fall on a nearby tree. _ “Well… I guess here’s as good a place as any to think…” _ he sighed and looked up. “ _ Man… I dun goofed. Well… at least I don’t have as big of a problem as that Lincoln Fraug,” _ he gave a soft chuckle, before shaking his head. _ “All I had to do was vote for Ivy to win… but…” his chest panged. “I just couldn’t hurt Maddie like that…” _ he returned his eyes to the stars above, those little lights seemingly taking on the shape of the two girls that had vied for his attention. _ “Now the whole town’s basically on fire, Ivy and Maddie probably hate me and I don’t know what to do!” _ And with that, Sprig buried his head in his arms, immediately crying into them. “Why does this have to be hard?”

Suddenly, the nighttime forest began to glow with a soft, almost heavenly light, before a figure stepped forward, though Sprig was too caught up in his mourning to notice.

Slowly, the figure approached, before crouching down to the frog boy’s height. “Hello there.”

*Sniffle* He went in reply.

“It seems that you’re lost, in more ways that one,” she continued, her voice filling with a motherly heat.

Sprig looked up, not speaking a word. From what he could see, the creature was human-like, with soft white skin and long blond hair. Her dress flowed elegantly and seemingly shone in the moonlight.

It was as if she were an angel sent to comfort him.

“My dear Sprig, I know things may seem difficult, but just know that there is a way forward,” the figure continued, taking his chin in her hand. “I know that.”

And in response, he flared his arms. “But how?! I have two girls who both love me and I just…” he lowered his arms, rubbing his right shoulder with his left hand. “I don’t know who to pick!”

The woman chuckled, before helping him onto his feet. “Well then, let me show you the way,” suddenly, a path of golden, bioluminescent mushrooms appeared before him, leading deeper into the forest. “Ahead lies a maze, and at its center rests your answer. Within you’ll see the future and gain what you desire.”

With that, the figure disappeared, seemingly turned into dust of pure light, which blew away in the nighttime breeze.

_ “Gain what I desire…” _ Sprig’s mind repeated, before he looked up and stepped forward. _ “I… I need to figure out who to pick…” _ and soon enough a strange gate appeared before him, it was tall, with a roughed top adorned with a lion and eagle both wrapped by a snake. Along it edges read. “Through me you pass into the sparkle of woe. Through me you pass into languishing brilliance. Through me among the light lost for aye. All hope abandon ye who enter here,” and on either sides of the gate were stonewalls that seemed to reach the heavens above.

Sprig gulped at the sight, before taking a breath. “If that answer I need is at the end of this maze, then I’m gonna go through it!” And with that he jumped through.

** _Meanwhile…_ **

“I’m coming Sprig!” Ivy shouted while raising her arm. “Just hang in there!”

Meanwhile, Maddie quickly grabbed at the roots and random trinkets littering the forest floor before shoving them in a bag. “This should find him!”

Ivy raised an eyebrow, before quickly vaulting over an oversized rock. “Seriously? Magic? Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage?!”

“What are you talking about?” the magician focused her eyes at Maddie, while moving her hand towards her belt of magic items.

“Don’t you get it?!” Ivy flared her arms. “This is all your fault! If you had just left Sprig alone we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

“This is my fault?” Maddie replied by pointing her finger at her. “What about you Ms. ‘I challenge you to a Frog Mating Duel’! If you hadn’t messed with the engagement then Sprig would be having a great time with me!”

“Sprig broke up with you, remember?!” Ivy countered, her voice filled with frustration. “The only reason I decided to even start this was because I wanted him and he didn’t wanna go with you! He loves me ya know!”

Yet, Maddie didn’t hesitate. “If that were true, then why’d he vote for me?!” She looked ahead, before quickly tucking and sliding under a fallen tree trunk while Ivy jumped and grabbed a tree branch to swing over it. “Why’d you give me a chance if he loved you so much?! He could’ve just voted for you no matter how well I performed for him!”

_ “Because he’s a great guy…” _ Ivy’s gaze faltered for a moment. _ “But… is she right?” _

“He loves me! That’s why!” the magician continued.

“Grr, no he doesn’t!” Anger and frustration began to rush through the adventurer’s body. “He loves me!” she blared before she jumped up, rolled in the air and grabbed a branch, ripping it from its root, and hurled it at Maddie. “He promised me that we’d enjoy this season together!”

“And he promised he’d marry me!” Quickly Maddie rolled onto her feet, before sending several bags of magic at her rival. “It hurt when he broke up with me and when it looked like Sprig was gonna give me a chance, I felt something I never felt before!”

“Yeah! I know! That’s what Sprig does best!” Ivy quickly jumped up, before grabbing and pivoting off a tree branch, sending the limb flying at Maddie who simply met the attack with her own, creating a small flock of birds that flew off before Ivy landed. “I always loved him! From the first moment I saw him!”

“Yeah, yeah, love at first sight!” The magician disappeared, before pouncing on Ivy in reply, forcing the latter to tuck and roll, grabbing several rocks and hurling them. 

Yet, Maddie easily blocked with a cloud of magic smoke, before countering by engulfing Ivy in more of the stuff. “Take this!”

“What the?!” Ivy frantically looked around, before clutching her fists and swinging randomly into the smoke.

“You can’t fight what you can’t see,” Maddie declared, before appearing before Ivy and slapping her, following it up by disappearing back into the mist. “I’m gonna save Sprig and you can’t stop me!”

Immediately, Ivy threw her arms at her sides as her face went red in frustration. “Grr. I’m not gonna let you!” She began to swing once more, before bolting forward, doing her best to hit Maddie, only to hit the dust blinded her.

“Why not? Don’t you love him?” Maddie whispered. “Don’t you want him safe and sound, even in the arms of another girl?”

Ivy paused, her chest pounding at the thought. “I do love him,” she closed her eyes and took a soft breath. _ “But… I will save him! I won’t let her take him from me!” _

*Rustle*

The young hunter immediately opened her eyes, tears filling them, before she pounced. 

Immediately the dust cleared, allowing Ivy to land on top of Maddie, pulling her into a close fight, which consisted of Ivy punching and Maddie attempting to push her off. Though, due to the exhaustion overtaking both of them, nothing much in the way of injuries really took place.

“Girls! Stop It!” Anne shouted, before rushing over and prying the duo apart. “What’s going on?!”

“This clod won’t be able to help Sprig at all! She’s just gonna cause trouble!” Ivy pointed at Maddie.

“Speak for yourself, if you didn’t start this fight Sprig wouldn’t have run into the forest and we wouldn’t worry about him getting himself killed!”  
  
“Sprig’s gonna get himself killed?!” instantly Anne began to tear up, before geysers of water flowed from her eyes. “I don’t want Sprig to die!”

“Anne! Get yourself together!” Polly quickly jumped off the arriving Hopadiah’s head and grabbed the teen by the shirt.

“But Polly! Your brother’s in danger!” she cried, flaring her arms.  
And in response, the tadpole proceeded to slap Anne multiple times, leaving red flipper marks on her cheeks. “Snap out of it woman! This is not the time for your moon swings!”

Immediately, Anne rubbed her cheeks and gave a small nod. “Right. You’re right… man I didn’t realize you hit so hard.”

“Thanks,” Polly smiled.

Hop Pop pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ugh, this isn’t the time for this!! Sprig’s probably reached the maze by now and the illusions have drawn him in!”

“Illusions?” Ivy raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” the old frog stepped forward, taking a good look at the path of mushrooms that lit the way. “The snu snu plant is a cunning foe, able to use what its prey desires to lure them into its devious maze,” he stood up straight. “And from the looks of it, it’s already managed to get Sprig inside.”

“Well then, what’re we supposed to do?” Polly scratched her head in confusion. “If that plant’s so dangerous, wouldn’t we need at least some more backup?”

“I’d rather not ask the townsfolk for help in this matter… for multiple reasons,” Hop Pop shook his head.

** _Meanwhile…_ **

“I want that fabric!” Wally shouted as he pounced on Ms. Croaker. “Sprigivy for life!”

“Not a chance! I got this piece of Ivy’s dress fair and square! You’ll take it from my cold, dead hands!” The old woman that held her stick out, trying to keep Wally at a distance, only for the one-eyed man to duck and roll to grab her. Yet, she responded by pointing with her free hand. “Sic em boy!”

And with that her pet spider jumped and unleashed a web of waves, which Wally sliced through with his hands. “You’re gonna have to try harder than that!”

And in response, Ms. Croaker flipped her cane around, before swatting at Wally with the rounded end. “You mean like that?!”

The man rubbed his cheek. “Yes!” before jumping up… only for Stumpy to trample him. “Spraddie for life! You can’t convince me otherwise!”

* * *

“I assume they’ve figured out what to fight over by now… and boy I doubt it’ll be pretty,” he shook his head, before turning back. “It looks like we have no choice but to go inside ourselves.”

Anne gave a nod. “All right then,” she raised her hand and stepped forward, only for Hop Pop to grab her. 

“Anne, you’ve gotta keep your emotions in check, you don’t know how the Snu Snu plant is gonna mess with ya!” He turned to the girls. “Do you understand that?”

“Fine,” Ivy gave Maddie a quick shoulder punch, with Maddie replying the same.

“I’m serious, once we’re in there, we’ll be in uncharted territory. No one has ever returned!” Hop Pop waved his fingers at the four girls.

And in response, Polly gave a small salute. “Well if Sprig’s in there, we’re just gonna have to get to him first! And I’m ready for it!”

The old man then nodded and turned around, before taking a breath and approaching. _ “I just hope that “All hope abandon, ye who enter here stuff isn’t true. I need to save him. It’s my fault for letting this contest get so far. Hang on Sprig, we’re coming for ya!” _

And with that, the trio stepped into the maze, the path that led them inside disappearing soon afterwards.

** _Meanwhile…_ **

Sprig gulped and held his arm as he travelled through the maze, his gaze darting from wall to wall, searching for some sign that he was going the right way… only to find just more moss and the occasional skeleton of an unfortunate travel that came before. “This was definitely a bad idea.”

Yet, he continued onwards, his heart pounding and mind racing as he turned a corner, and was met by the dim light of a distant room. _ “That has to be the center,” _ he gulped. “ _ Well… whatever left these corpses behind, I can take it… for them.” _

In the next moment, the two girls appeared at his sides, their smiles urging him forward. “I can do this, I can do this.” And with that, he stepped forward once more.

“This is all my fault...” his mind raced as he forced his way through the vegetation that filled the maze, before he turned and bolted down the next corridor. _ “If I had just been able to pick...” _ his chest panged. _ “... I know the plan was to have Ivy win, but... after seeing them both dance... Ivy’s fun energy and Maddie’s beautiful grace... I just... I couldn’t pick!” _ tears began to make their way from his eyes. _ “They’re both so... perfect.” _

He then turned once more, allowing the exit to fill his gaze, and ahead a golden flower waiting for him. _ “But here, I’ll be able to find out what I should do.” _

It was beautiful, with a golden, rounded head and long vines that seemed to bury into the maze walls. _ “Perfect…” _ he carefully approached. 

Suddenly, *grr* the sound echoed from the plant, causing the frog boy to jump in surprise. “What the?!”

Immediately vines burst forward, wasting no time wrapping the boy up and pulling him over to the plant.

* * *

“All right, which way do we go?” Hop turned back and crossed his arms. “We’ve got left, right and forward.”

Ivy quickly bent over and began to wipe at the ground. “Well from the looks of it, I’d say left,” she pointed at a set of muddy footprints. “From the looks of it, Sprig went this way,” she stood up straight, turned and pointed ahead. “If we run we might still be able to find him!”

“I call upon the powers entrusted to me by the wizard crow of the sacred seal of light! Reveal the path to he who I hold dear!” Maddie levitated for a moment, before dispelling hundreds of spheres of light, instantly illuminating the right path, before she descended. “There, this should be the way to him, all we have to do is follow it and we’ll be there in no time.”

“Whatever, your magic curses and stuff are nothing against my tracking skills,” the huntress stepped forward, and in response Maddie harshened her gaze against her.

“Whatever, I can just follow this right to him, and I’ll save him better than you ever could!”

They butt heads with that, growling at each other and raising their fists, ready to engage in another fight… only for Anne to cut in between them. “Enough you two! Ugh! It’s been twenty minutes since Sprig ran away and all you two can do is try to fight each other?! Seriously!”

“Now Anne,” Hopadiah tried to cut in, only for the teenager to hold her hand out. “How about this, whoever can catch up to Sprig first wins your contest, that work?”

The two girls stared into each other’s eyes, before nodding in affirmation.

“Good, now go!” she declared, and with that, Ivy and Maddie both turned around and bolted down their chosen paths, leaving Polly, Hop Pop and Anne to turn towards the remaining route.

“Welp, because of that, it looks like we’re gonna be taking this one,” the old man shrugged nonchalantly.

Polly pulled out her mace and held it up, ready for the fight that would no doubt ensue. “I don’t care I want some fighting already!

“Yeah!” Anne raised her fist. “There was no fighting in the town so I guess this’ll do!” 

Hop Pop rubbed his forehead. “Well then, it looks like I don’t have much of a choice in this matter. Here’s to hoping that this is the right way,” And with that, the remaining trio turned and headed down the path straight ahead of them.

* * *

“Hi-ya!” Ivy shouted as she jumped from vine to vine, fighting through the vegetation that stood in her way. “No measly plant is gonna stop me from getting to my love!” She landed and paused, before jumping up and swinging on another, allowing her pass over a pit of spikes that had opened up before her. _ “He is mine, right? I mean… he chose Maddie during the contest only once…” _

She quickly shook her head. _ ‘No, bad Ivy, get those defeatist thoughts out of your head! Sprig loves you with all his heart, he just wanted to make sure Maddie didn’t know that this was a set-up… right?’ _ she steeled her gaze and pushed forward. _ ‘Whatever, I have to get to him before Maddie does.’ _With that, she tucked and rolled under more of the vines, though these seemed to remain still, as if attempting to warn of a threat ahead. And as soon as she pulled herself back onto her feet, her gaze met with the small dim light of a distant room. 

“Gotcha!” She immediately bolted forward. “Don’t worry Sprig! I’m coming for ya!” while she thought. “_ I’m gonna prove to Maddie that I’m the only one who deserves your love!” _

** _Meanwhile…_ **

“Slice!” Maddie shouted as her energy sword cut through the thick vegetation in her way. “Man, I doubt Sprig would’ve had to go through this stuff, it’s just so thick…” she rubbed her chin. “Ivy probably was right about the path he took, though I assume that this is the shortest route to him,” she sighed at the thought, while continuing onward, easily jumping over a pit that had been set to slow her down. _ “Sprig… I’m sorry that our relationship had to be a bit forced, but I do truly love you. I wanna pay you back for everything you’ve given me.” _

She then aimed her palms at another thick overgrowth. “Mega fire blast!” and with that, she unleashed a torrent of fire, burning a hole through which she walked. _ “It’s nothing personal Ivy… but maybe if it wasn’t Sprig we were fighting over, then maybe this could’ve gone differently.” _

She sighed and turned down another corridor, allowing the dim light of certain distant room to come into view, as well as the light path she had set out for herself coming to an end at that point. _ “Looks like Sprig’s right there,” _ she took a breath and focused, causing her hands to glow with a soft blue hue. “Well, whatever’s hidden at this maze center, I’m ready for it.”

With that, she bolted forward. “I’m gonna come for ya Sprig! Just hang in there!”

* * *

“Help!” Sprig cried as he fought against the vines holding him up. “Please, anybody!”

“I’ll save you Sprig!” Ivy shouted, before jumping out of the eastern entrance to the center, raising her fists as she did so. 

Immediately the beast snapped at her, sending a vine in an attempt to crush her, yet the young girl simply jumped over and began to run along its length in an attempt to attack its core.

“No! I’ll save you!” Maddie flew into the center through the western exit, her hands already glowing. She quickly pulled back and aimed. “Hyper ice blast!” and with that she sent out a wave of light blue light, freezing the roots and vines near her end, only for the beast to easily break free and swing at her.

Maddie quickly dodged, while Ivy jumped at the plant’s head on the other, immediately arming herself with the stick she had picked up earlier. “Ambush!” Yet, the plant responded quickly, wasting no time grabbing her in midair, before flinging her at the magician, who simple rolled out of the way and continued her onslaught.

Not to be outdone, Ivy tucked and rolled allowing her to stop herself before climbing up a tree and taking hold of a vine. “Ambush!” she cried before diving at the creature’s head.

And without hesitation, the creature swiped at Ivy, who quickly rolled under the attack. “That’s not gonna work again! I’m gonna save Sprig!”

“Go Ivy!” Sprig raised his hand to cheer, only for the creature spin him rapidly, causing him to puke upon the finishing of the movement.

“It’s toying with him!” the young huntress grit her teeth before climbing the vines once more and grabbing for the plant’s roots, yet with more slaps the Snu Snu plant easily forced Ivy away.

“Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” Maddie countered, engulfing the plant’s appendages with blacklight, before tugging at them, seemingly trying to pull the plant out. And yet, the beast seemingly stared at Maddie, who at this point was struggling to continue her assault, and raised one of the vine whips she had been unable to gain leverage over, and brought it down, nearly crushing the young girl. “This isn’t going well!”

“Ya think?!” Ivy tucked and jumped trying to find whatever opening she could in order to continue the fight, but to no avail. With another attack, Ivy was sent spinning into another tree. “Grr, I will not be defeated!” She raised her arm before perching herself and diving once more. “For Sprig!”

“Looks like I’m gonna have to do this myself!” On the ground opposite her Maddie pulled her arms back as her palms began to glow once more. “Super Stardrive blast!” Before launching a torrent of light at the beast...

Only for the plant monster to casually move aside, causing the attack to blast Ivy before the beast brought its vine down upon Maddie once more, slamming her to the ground in defeat.

“Ugh.” The two girl groaned before the plant wrapped them up and pulled them in, quickly shoving them in a small opening within its body, which it then sealed up, trapping them inside.

Finally, it roared its voice echoing through the forest.

“Maddie! Ivy!” Sprig shouted, only for the monster to spin him up once more, as if he were just a yoyo. “Whoa! Oh! Guys help!”

** _Nearby..._ **

“Help!” the cry echoed through the maze, as light from the central room began to illuminate the path ahead.

“Sprig!” Polly pointed forward “did you hear that?!"

Anne nodded. “Yeah! And it sounds like he’s in trouble!”

“Cause when is he not?” Polly face palmed.

“Not the time, Polly!” Hop Pop responded. “From the sound of it, the Snu Snu plant’s already got him in its clutches!”

Anne grabbed the old man by the arm and effectively dragged him forward. “That means we don’t have much time! If that story is true, it’s gonna toy with him for a bit before crushing and eating him!”

And a moment later Anne, Hopadiah and Polly found themselves entering the central room through the south gate, with the beast wasting no time surrounding them in vines. “Well this doesn’t look good.”

“Ya think?!” Hop Pop flared his arms, before jumping and up and making a break for the exit… only for him to appear at the northern end the moment he passed through. “What the heck?!”

Anne raised her fists and punched the vine walls trapping her… only to immediately tear up. “Ow, this stuff freakin’ hard!”

“No duh!” Polly flared her arms, before pulling out her trusty mace. “Mindless destruction!” She jumped up with that, before spinning the axe… only for the beast to swat her straight into her grandfather and send the two of them through the north gate, which caused them to appear in front of the southern gate once more.

“Well this isn’t turning out well,” Anne took a breath as she climbed over the Snu Snu plant’s vine prison. 

“No kiddin’,” Hop Pop shook his head, while the plant continued to roar and mess with Sprig. No doubt preparing him for dinner while the trio watched.

“Is there anything we can do?!” Polly shouted.

Yet, the old man took a breath, seemingly in defeat. “We could try to fight it, but because no one who’s ever seen this plant has ever lived to tell the tale… well, how to kill it eludes me.”

Anne turned the old man to face her. “Come on, there has to be a way! We have to do something!”

“But what?” Hop Pop asked, uncertainty filling his voice.

And in response, Anne and Polly turned to each other, before the young woman turned back. “I don’t know…”

** _Meanwhile…_ **

“G’ahh!” Ivy and Maddie screamed in surprise for a moment as they bounced along the walls of the plant beast’s tube, before finally coming to land in a small, fleshy, box of sorts, illuminated by the small, bioluminescent mushrooms that had made this room their home. 

“Ugh,” Ivy rubbed her head. “Dangit, stupid plant!” before she slammed her fist against the vine-laden floor. “Why couldn’t I take this stupid thing on?” she began to grab at it, crushing the seemingly dead appendages in her hands. “I fought so hard and got so far, but in the end we’re stuck in a stupid belly of a plant beast!”

“Ugh,” another voice went, prompting Ivy to turn to face her. “I didn’t expect that at all,” she turned to Ivy.

The huntress crossed her arms and looked away. “Yeah, and I didn’t expect to get blasted by whatever that thing was!”

Rather than reply, Maddie paused and turned away, before looking at her hands and attempting to make them glow once more, but to no avail. Whatever powers she had seemed to flicker in the near-darkness.

Ivy’s gaze softened with that. _ “Now I’m trapped with Maddie… and Sprig is gonna get eaten by this stupid plant…” _ soft tears began to make their way down her cheeks. “Dangit… why did this have to be so complicated?” she pointed at Maddie. “This is all your fault!”

The pink-haired girl didn’t reply, continuing to make sparks with her hands. 

“If you had just stayed away, Sprig and I could be enjoying mating season together, but no! You just had to come in and mess everything up!” The orange-haired girl held her arm. “Sprig and I had been looking forward to this for months…”  
  
“Missy, if anyone’s to blame it’s you,” Maddie didn’t bother turning. “All my father wanted was for him to mate with me, and though it hurts me, I knew that he didn’t love me.”

“Then why’d you try anyways?!” Ivy turned, her body filling with frustration.

“Because I wanted him to give me a chance, so I could give him the love he’s given me,” Maddie looked away, seemingly trying to hide the soft tears that had begun to grow on her face. “And I guess from the looks of it… this fight has done more to him than we thought it would…”

“You can say that again,” Ivy turned away and leaned back.

The magician returned to being silent, still attempting to use her powers. _ “Dangit, I shouldn’t have put so much power into a single attack…” _ yet, she sighed and dropped her hands, before leaning back against the wall, with her companion following soon after.

“Great, we’re stuck here, with no powers, no weapons, no plan, and nothing to get us out!” Ivy quipped, her voice fading in defeat. 

And in unison they continued. “And this plant’s about to eat the love of my life.”

Silence overtook the duo with that, neither of them sure of just how to continue forward.

That was, until Ivy took a deep breath and sighed. “Maddie… look…”

The magician glanced at her.

“If we don’t get out of this, I want you to know… this was all a set up,” Ivy crossed her arms and looked away. “The plan was to have me challenge you to a fight and stuff, and then have Sprig let me win all the contests and stuff, that way your dad would get that you couldn’t keep me and stuff,” she looked away, her gaze faltering. “But… then Sprig started voting against me for some reason… like he was starting to grow feelings for you…”

Maddie paused, before looking away and speaking in a low voice. “You really think I didn’t know? Heck I had a feeling that you two would pull something like this,” she turned and looked into Ivy’s eyes. “But I went along with it anyways! I was genuinely surprised when he started voting for me!”

Ivy immediately turned back and looked into Maddie’s gaze. “But… why? If you knew that Sprig was trying to get out of your deal, then why’d you fight so hard to keep him? Why didn’t you give up?!”

“Wouldn’t you?” the magician calmly replied. “If you loved someone as much I do, wouldn’t you fight your very hardest to keep him even if you know, deep down, he’s holding a contest just to let you down easy?”

Ivy looked away. “I wouldn’t give up either. I’d do my best to prove myself to him…”

Maddie then turned and leaned back against the wall once more. “Look… I know what I did was a bit wrong and I may have pushed too hard, but I love him Ivy. He’s my first friend and I wanted to do whatever I could to make it up to him.”

Ivy paused. “Yeah that makes sense... the plan went south too, he ended up voting for you in game one and from what it sounded like, you would’ve won game two had that hairball thing not tried to eat him,” she pulled her knees in. “Am I not good enough for him?”

“Ivy,” Maddie scooted over and took the same position. “Sprig loves you deeply. I’ve listened to him on the days where he can’t stop talking about you!”

“He… he’s ranted about me?” 

And Maddie gave a nod. “Of course! He’s almost obsessed with you!” before waving her off. “It’s… rather adorable,” she rubbed her arm with that.

“And now he loves you too…” Ivy’s voice trailed off. “But now he’s gonna die and we can’t do anything about it…” she leaned back, allowing a moment of silence to pass between them.

“No,” Ivy whispered.

Maddie looked up from her hands. “Huh?”

“You love Sprig, and I do too, right?” the huntress turned to her companion.

“Obviously. If you didn’t, then why fight so hard for him?” Maddie raised her eyebrow in confusion.

Ivy then turned and offered her hand. “Maddie, this stupid contest has hurt Sprig more than we thought. He’s conflicted and doesn’t know which one of us to pick. So rather than force him to choose between us, how about we share him instead?”

“That’s allowed?” She raised an eyebrow in curiosity. 

“Well the book said as long as everyone agrees,” Ivy shrugged

Maddie paused for a moment, before a soft smile overtook her, and she grabbed the huntress’ hand, allowing Ivy to pull her up. “But how are we gonna get out of here? I don’t have powers and you’ve never studied magic before!”

Ivy rubbed her chin. “We’ll figure something-“

Yet, before she could finish, her hands began to glow. “What the?!”

Immediately Maddie took hold of her. “My powers! That blast must’ve infused some of my magic in you!”

“Can you use it to get us out of here?!” The orange-haired girl’s eyes went wide and the pink-haired girl nodded in reply.

With that, she pulled out a small bag. “We’ll need to chant together for this to work. Don’t worry though, magic will help you follow the spell.”  
  
Ivy didn’t question and nodded in reply. “Let’s go.”

With that, the duo began to glow with a soft pink light, as the bag disappeared, releasing a cloud of dust that engulfed the duo.

“Together we call upon the powers of the dark and the light, strength from beyond reveal your true might! With our powers combined we shatter this cage, release the powers of our rage!” And with that, the cloud condensed into a small glowing sphere of light, which proceeded to explode, blasting a hole in the plant’s wall.

With that, Maddie and Ivy nodded at each other and rushed out.

** _Meanwhile…_ **

“G’ahh!” Anne quickly ducked behind one of the random overgrown vines that covered the wall for cover, with Hop Pop and Polly following soon after. “Oh man this isn’t looking good!”

“How’re we supposed to take this thing on?! It’s huge!” Polly peeked over the vine wall defending them.  
  
“Help!” Sprig meanwhile continued to cry out, though they just couldn’t do anything.

Anne peered over as well, though immediately ducked under another swing attack. “I don’t know. Maybe if something happened that weakened it a bit, we’d have an opening or something…”

She looked up once more, only to find a vine snaking its way across the wall, seemingly attempting to follow a scent of sorts. “What the?” She watched as it eased its way over to her and moved to her pelvis, sniffing her for a moment.

“Get away!” Hop Pop shouted, before swiping at the vine. “If you’re gonna fight my kids, you’re gonna have to get through me!”

“Hop Pop, wait,” Anne placed her hand on his shoulder. “That vine… seems attracted to…” she reached into her pocket and pulled out a few bloody leaves, before throwing them in front of the vine, causing it to sniff them for a moment, and grab them. “Interesting.”

The old man rubbed his chin. “That could be useful,” he turned and peered up. “But still, that leaves the question of, how are we supposed to use-“

*Boom!* the containment room of the Snu Snu plant burst forth and from it, Ivy and Maddie hopped out, ready for a fight.

“And that’s our cue!” Anne immediately shouted before she jumped from cover, with Polly and Hop Pop following soon after.

“Finally! Violence!” The tadpole pulled out her mace and began swinging it in excitement. “Let’s go!”

Hop Pop struggled over the wall. “Hey! Wait up! It’s dangerous to go alone, take me!”

Maddie and Ivy turned to each other and nodded, before Ivy spoke. “I’ll save Sprig. Use your powers to cut the vines down,” and without hesitation, Maddie nodded. “Got it. Try to expose its weak point while you do that.

Ivy gave a nod as well, before jumping. “I’m coming Sprig!” The vines attempted to grab and restrain her- to pull her away from her goal. Yet, the magician boosted up and fired.

“Icicle Immobilization!” And with that, she unleashed a torrent of spikes that stabbed at the Snu Snu Plant’s vines, redirecting their attention at her and sending more illusionary creatures to fight her, yet she easily forced them away with a cloud of ice and snow. “Come on! Hurry Ivy!”

The orange-haired girl nodded and jumped up, easily reaching the set of roots that held her partner. “Hey Sprig!”

“Ivy! You’ve come to rescue me!” The boy cheerfully responded.

And the girl chuckled, while pulling at the vines. Surprisingly enough they weren’t too tight, no doubt in order to keep him alive until the plant was done toying with him. “Course I did! I can’t enjoy mating season with a corpse now can I?!” She then grabbed his hand. “Now come on!”   
  
“But where?! The plants are everywhere!” Sprig flared his arms in concern. Yet, Ivy simply smiled and jumped.

On the ground Anne wasted no time ducking and rolling under a whip, before jumping up and kicking the vine. “Come on! Is that the best you got?!” 

Immediately, more vines came up from behind and pounced, trying to envelop her in its grassy grip. Yet she simply jumped out of the way. _ “They’re still attracted to my bloody pads…” her eyes went wide. “I have an idea!” _

“What? Is it?!” Hop Pop fought off the branches with his cane.  
  
“If this plant wants my bloody pads then I can use them to distract it!” She shouted in reply, before using her arms to block more assaults, before dodging the next set.

“But how are we even supposed to attack its weak point?!” Polly spun in the air before slamming the mace on another root.

“Leave that to us!” Ivy shouted, before the dragon griffin flew out above them, roaring.

“Woo-hoo!” Sprig flared his arms in excitement. “Ivy! I can’t believe he comes when you call!”

The girl shrugged. “What can I say, it’s fiercely loyal when tamed!” she laughed.  
  
“Awesome,” Maddie flew over and aimed her hands at the plant. “We have to defend Hopadiah, Anne and Polly while they move to expose the Snu Snu Plant’s weak spot… if it has one.”

“Of course it does,” Ivy waved her off. “We have to hit where the stem becomes roots, if we destroy that the head will fall off and die.”

The magician nodded. “Then let’s get to it!” she fired. “Glacier Crash!” Freezing several of the nearby vines, while Ivy and Sprig boosted up.

“Come on Majester!” she leaned forward. “Use your claws to slice the vines!” And in response, the beast easily did so.

On the ground, Anne held up several leaves as she ran the perimeter around the plant, causing it to chase directly after her. “Come on! You can’t catch me that easily!”  
  
And then it prompt held out a root in front of her feet, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face. “Oof!” She immediately rolled onto her back, only to find the vines about to engulf her in their grassy clutches.

“Hey Anne! Heads up!” Sprig shouted, offering his hand as he passed, and without hesitation, Anne took hold of it. Following that, Majester cried out once more, before boosting forward again.

The plant beast grabbed at its assailants, and yet, it was to no avail. They flew and ran around it, forcing it to pull at itself in a desperate attempt to catch its prey.

And causing it to expose its stem.

“There it is!” Sprig pointed. 

And in an instant all six of them attacked, with Hop Pop and Polly throwing their weapons at it, while Maddie and Ivy blasted it. Sprig sent mud balls with his slingshot and then, for good measure, Anne reached up her skirt and chucked her bloody tampon at it, causing the beast to attack the soiled item.  
  
In the next moment an explosion blasted through the maze center, kicking up a cloud of dust. And when the smoke cleared, the Snu Snu plant lay defeated, with all six of them standing around it.

“Well that was enough excitement for one day,” Hop Pop declared.

Anne slowly approached the defeated plant. “Now then, Polly, where’s the painkiller?”

“It’s the nectar of the plant, according to the legend,” Polly replied.

And immediately, Anne began to collect just that, leaving Maddie, Ivy and Sprig nearby.

“Heh…” he chuckled at Anne’s behavior, before turning around. “Hey guys… sorry about getting us into this…”

“It’s fine,” Maddie replied, before rubbing her arm, with Ivy replying. “We’re sorry for pushing you this far.

Maddie then pulled him into a hug. “Ivy explained everything to me… I’m sorry for pushing you this far, Sprig.”

The boy’s gaze faltered a bit. “Oh.”

“Enjoy mating season with Ivy, after all, she’s the one who saved you from the Snu Snu Plant,” she continued.  
  
And Sprig returned the embrace. “Thanks Maddie,” with that, she broke off, and stepped passed him, allowing him to embrace Ivy.

Ivy immediately looked up, a smiling Maddie mouthing. “Your place tonight?”

In response, she mouthed. “Yeah, make sure to get roses, he loves those… and make sure to get your favorite mushrooms, we’re gonna need to set the right mood for Sprig.”

Maddie smiled and nodded, before disappearing before her very eyes, a soft “thank you” filling her ears soon after.

The orange-haired girl then pat the boy’s back. “So, ready to enjoy Mating Season, Sprig? Since I saved ya, I won the contest.”

“Oh right! The contest!” Though it hurt him slightly to have to let Maddie go, he smiled and returned the embrace, a hint of relief washing over him in that moment. “Yeah Ivy, let’s finally do what we planned, all right?”

And with that, they turned and headed back.

A few feet away meanwhile, Anne had begun to snort the nectar, causing her to fall back. “Oh, that’s the spot!”

“So Anne! How’re your period pains going?!” Polly excitedly asked. “Did that stupid plant that tried to kill us do the trick?” She pulled out another tampon. “Also, since you used the first one to slay that thing, I think you’re gonna need this.”

“What pain?” she nonchalantly replied, her body turning sluggish. She grabbed for the tampon… only for her hand to fall limply at her side. “Whatever, I don’t need it…”

Hop Pop pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well… it looks like the Snu Snu Plant’s nectar is a powerful herb. Anne’s probably gonna be like that for a few hours… probably.”

“Yay! No pain!” Anne flared her arms for a moment, before dropping them back on her chest. “My face feels squishy.”

“From the looks of it, we’re also gonna have to drag her home,” Hop Pop pulled out a small burlap sack and started collecting some. “I can also probably sell this for a lot of money. Everyone’s gonna want some of this!”

“Welp… here we go again,” Polly sighed in defeat, before hoisting Anne on her shoulders once more and beginning to walk out of the maze. “Come on Anne, I’m your ride home… again. You owe me so much candy when we get back!”

“Yay!” she threw her arm up, before immediately dropping it.

Rather than suggest helping her out, Hop Pop shrugged. “I guess she’s just used to doing it now, oh well.”

And with that, they headed back to town as well.

No doubt tonight’s gonna get pretty steamy now.

From ΩU: 23-5-12-16, 9-20 12-15-15-11-19 12-9-11-5 23-5 18-5 7-15-14-14-1 6-9-14-1-12-12-25 19-5-5 23-8-1-20 8-1-16-16-5-14-19 23-8-5-14 1 8-21-14-20-5-18 1-14-4 1 13-1-7-9-3-9-1-14 13-1-11-5 1 2-1-2-25! 23-5-’18-5 7-15-14-14-1 14-5-5-4 20-15-23-5-12-19. 12-15-20-19 1-14-4 12-15-20-19 15-6 20-15-23-5-12-19.

From EMK46: 25-15-21 1-18-5-14-20 11-9-4-4-9-14-7. 23-5 13-9-7-8-20 8-1-22-5 20-15 7-5-20 20-5-14 2-15-24-5-19 15-6 4-1-16-11-9-14-19.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N from Omega: Welp I did not see this coming. Originally this story’s idea was to have the contest end with Maddie accepting a loss and Ivy and Sprig going at it. But hey, lewd bois will be lewd and now Epsilon is working on the last chapter, a threesome among them all! Also, props to whoever can find the shout-outs I put in!
> 
> Man, make sure to grab your tissues guys!
> 
> A/N from Epsilon: Alright alright, I know what you’re probably thinking. Yeah, we most likely are a bit cowardly for taking the “everyone’s hunky dory” route...which actually could be said about a ton of threesome stories, but I digress. Originally, Omega wanted to end this story with Ivy winning the shebang, but it was I who convinced him to turn this story around into what we have here! Sooooo, yeah. Maddie fans, you’re welcome. ;)
> 
> And one other thing about the Droste Maze. Originally, I thought that that was something of Greek mythology. But it turns out that it was actually based off of the Droste Effect which an MLP fan comic (where I got the idea from) turned into the Droste Maze. So I’m just mentioning it here because I don’t want to be labeled as a thief.
> 
> But with all that out of the way…….the time has come. I shall be writing the chapter you’ve moist likely all have been waiting for, and now I shall retire into my dark and unspeakable chambers with a Bible, a bunch of napkins, and about five hundred erotic thesauruses. Until then, fare thee well.


	6. Consummating With The Girls Of Your Dreams!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N From Omega: Ahh, finally, after over a year of waiting, it’s finally here! I welcome you all to the final chapter of this fic! I hope you guys enjoy it! And I hope it’s worth the wait!
> 
> R&R!

Chapter Six: Consummating With The Girls Of Your Dreams!

A cavalcade of embarrassment at the hands of groping his dear human friend. A sense of insecurity from crafting a mere drawing from a failed piece of literature. An adrenaline filled rescue from the claws of a monstrous vermin. A burden of guilt so soon after feeling grace from the freedom of the dance floor. And last but not least, a touch with death itself within the belly of the beast. Even a frantic chase from their fellow neighbors all fighting over, of all things, their love life. All of these moments that could serve as their own trials of the human resolve on their own, jam packed into but a single day and night, all leading up to Sprig and Ivy standing before the latter's door, all while looking at one another in pure bliss.

"Well, Sprig, I guess this is it..." Ivy spoke, blushing from embarrassment from thought of what they were about to do once they stepped through those doors.

"Hehe... It sure is..." Sprig replied, sporting a blush of his own and twiddling his thumbs. "But could you remind me again why we didn't go to the lake?"

Ivy simply laughed at his query. "Well, I guess we _could_ do that, but just wait until you see what I’ve got in store for you! Now come on, lover boy! We’ve got adult things to do!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!” Sprig shouted and saluted in an over the top fashion, as the two of them, hand in hand, swung open the door and strutted inside to meet their destiny!

“I’m home!” Ivy decreed the moment she stepped inside, only to be a bit confused when she looked around to see not a soul around her. “Huh… Usually Mom’s a huffing sweaty mess on the couch right about-”

Yet before she could finish her sentence, the two of them jumped at the sound of a mighty explosion blaring from behind them, as they turned around to see a blue mushroom cloud emanating from the town.

“Oh, yeeeaaaaahhh… _That _whole mess…” Ivy muttered, taking a little glance at Sprig. “Should we…?”

But she was interrupted again by the sensation of Sprig gripping her rear end, as both their faces turned a bright shape of red as an awkward tense silence grew between them.

“.......Later?”

“Read my mind.”

That brief exchange was all they needed to say, as the duo stepped further inside and slammed the door behind them, before making their way further into the abode. After their most recent brush along death’s doorstep, the last thing they needed was to stop a citywide civil war, regardless of whether or not they were technically the cause of it.

With that resolve in mind, Ivy led towards Sprig upstairs, as they strutted down the stairs into the basement where they found a door made entirely of stone and mortar made out of tree sap.

“Whoa…! You didn’t tell me you had your bedroom so secured!” Sprig said while marvelling the expert craftsmanship.

“Huh? Oh, no, no, this isn’t my room.” Ivy corrected, letting out a chuckle. “_Mine’s_ just a normal door that’s got my venomous pet hawk moths set up by them! That way, anyone who dares to intrude will become nothing but a fleeting husk of rotten flesh!”

“What?”

“What?”

Ivy and Sprig engaged in another brief pause, before he shook his head. “Ah, you’ve got your reasons, I’m sure. So what _is_ behind here?”

“Ohh, ho hooh. You’ll see.” Ivy winked, before she pushed some of the stones of the door in a particular order. All those years of spying on her parents were finally paying off. Eventually, she managed to get the stone barrier to slide out of the way, revealing a room glittered to the brim with crystals that peppered the ceiling and the walls, radiating a light blue and crisp illumination all around it. And in the middle was an enormous tub filled to the brim with pure and glittering water that completely dazzled Sprig’s eyes, as he found himself spinning his head in sheer amazement.

“Woooooow! You guys actually have something like this?!” he sputtered in utter disbelief. “Wh-What do you even do with this thing?”

“Haha! Well, my Mom and Dad are kinda...super randy during mating season, shall we say, and they went all out in decking our basement out into some state of the art mating chamber.” Ivy chuckled, rubbing the back of her head from embarrassment while watching Sprig continue gazing around the room. “But hey! That ain’t even the best part!” She then walked over to him and grabbed him by his shoulders from behind, before whispering into his ear: “Take a close look in there for a secret.”

Sprig didn’t even think twice before making his way towards the edge of the pool. However, what he saw inside sent a chill straight down his spine. Right there, in the shape of the water, was the top of a head of a certain blue frog with pink hair, a sight that Sprig was all too familiar with. If that wasn’t enough, the moment the blue mound turned to lock its eyes with his, the frog surfaced a teensy bit more, enough to reveal Maddie Flour in all of her spooky glory, sprouting a wicked grin and a rose in her mouth.

“Hiiiiiii Spriiiiiiiig,” she said in a pitch perfect tone of voice as the day they first met all those months ago. That was when Sprig found his surprise spring through the roof, as he himself jumped higher than he ever thought possible right up into the ceiling, before falling back down onto his rear.

“M-M-M-M-M-M-MA-MA-MA-MA-MADDIE!!” Sprig stammered in fear and anxiety, making a complete mess of his words. “Wh-Wh-What are you doing here?!?!”

Maddie giggled from within her watery hiding spot, as she rose from the water and planted her shoulders on the edge of the tub, looking at Sprig with a vixen lust hidden deep within her eyes. “Weellllll, it _is_ mating season, and we’ve got the whole week to express our love for one another, riiiiiight?”

Sprig blinked in confusion, before starting to form a picture in his head about what was happening. But after a whole day full of hijinx born from miscommunication and cowardice on his end, he wasn’t going to let his fears get the better of him this time. He knew what had to be done.

“Look...Maddie, I-I know you-”

“Aww, give it a rest, spoopy,” Ivy teased with a bright smile. “It was bad enough almost scaring him to death, now you gotta play the teasing card?”

“Huh?!” Sprig darted his head towards the orange frog before being taken aback by the magician’s giggle.

“Hee hee hee. I just can’t help myself sometimes. Especially with such a cutie like him~~”

“Huh?! Huh?!” Sprig sputtered again.

“Ah, well, not a whole lot we can do about it now,” Ivy gleamed while looking back towards Sprig and giving him an eerily identical look like the one Maddie was presently giving him. “I think it’s time we get this show, wouldn’t you say?”

“Huh?! Huh?! HUH?!”

Giggling like a playful witch, Maddie said to her: “Oh, I thought you never ask.”

“W-W-Waaaaiiiiiittt!!!” Sprig shouted waving his hands out in front of him like crazy, causing both girls to look at him confusedly as he clenched his teeth and eyes tight. “Wh-What’s going on around here?!”

“Eh? What are you talking about, Sprig?” Ivy asked.

“What do you mean, ‘What am I talking about’??” Sprig answered hysterically. “What happened to the contest? What happened to only one of you being able to mate with me? Why are you two suddenly so nice to each other?! WHAT IS-” At that moment, Sprig stopped completely dead in his tracks, as his arms fell limp at his sides and his pupils began to dilate.

“Oh….oh no….” As the gears within his brain began to write its own story and explanation about the events that were unfolding, he came to a single conclusion. This wasn’t a mating session at all, but an intervention for essentially leaving both of them at the altar at the very last moment. And then, in a single instant, Sprig fell to his knees and clasped both of his hands together and just cried to his heart’s content.

“I’M SORRY! I’m so sorry, you guys! I’m sorry for being a total coward! I’m sorry I couldn’t choose between you two! I’m sorry Ivy for not going along with our plan! I’m sorry Maddie for stringing you along the whole time! I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry-”

And that was all she wrote before Sprig’s words became clouded within themselves until the very phrase he spoke became worn out beyond all hope of repair. All the while, the two girls could only stare at Sprig in sheer amazement, before they turned to each other and shared a slight giggle between themselves. Sprig could certainly be a handful at times, but that’s one of the things that they both loved ever so about him. Fortunately, Ivy knew just what to do to remedy his aching heart. And so, she walked up to him, kneeled down to meet him at eye level, grabbed his chin and leaned in for a kiss. Sprig was shut up immediately before the tears starting to form from his eyes began to wither away, as he was left speechless by the warm sensation of his best friend turned mate’s tender lips interlocked with his. It wasn’t long before he felt his mating season hormones resurfaced with a vengeance, as he found himself digging himself into her kiss with abundant gusto. As their tongues did battle with one another, each trying to gain dominance over the other, the two had to break apart to catch their breath, but all the while, their eyes never left their interlocked connection for even a split second.

“There. You feel better?” Ivy asked with a warm grin.

“Y…..Yeah….” Sprig sighed. “So, you guys aren’t gonna chew me out and leave me to the curb?”

“Of course not! What do you think we are, a couple of savages?” Maddie teased with a laugh.  
  
“Uuhhhhhh….”  
  
“Err, don’t answer that,” Ivy intervened, before letting out a sigh a gripping her arm while looking down at the floor. “Actually, about that whole mess… We wanted to apologize to you, Sprig.”

“Wh-What…?” Sprig asked in disbelief. “_You_ want to apologize? But I was the one who dragged us all into that stupid contest…”

“Yeah, but… We weren’t really much help either…” Maddie confessed. “That whole time we were fighting over which of us deserve you more as a mate, we didn’t even realize how much it was affecting you…”

Sprig didn’t say anything. “Sprig,” Ivy went on, “you are such a good guy. You’re so kind hearted, adventurous, selfless, pretty much anything and everything a girl could ask for in a mate, you’ve got it. And we both let our love for you get in the way of what really mattered, and that was making you happy.”

“‘Our’ love?” Sprig finally spoke. “You mean… You really did love me, Maddie?”

Maddie nodded a few times, before Ivy continued. “And this contest got you to fall in love with her, didn’t it?”

Feeling a great sense of shame surge through him, Sprig answered: “Yeah… it did. I don’t know how, but it just sort of...happened. I wanted to think it was just the mating season bugs in my stomach acting up, but everytime she did something to make me feel special, I could feel my heart race a mile a minute; so much so that at some moments I almost forgot about our plan entirely. And when that final challenge came around, I couldn’t bare to let either of you feel miserable because of me, and I acted like an idiot because of it.” He then looked towards both of them with a remorseful look in his eyes. “Can you two ever forgive me for almost breaking your hearts?”

Bracing himself for an answer, whatever it turned out to be, he was pleasantly surprised by a tight embrace. “We already have, Sprig…” Ivy whispered before standing him up. “Now, I think we’ve gotten through all that sappy stuff, wouldn’t you say? C’mon! Let’s get down to the part we’ve been waiting for the whole dang day!”

“W-Wait. You mean, we’re finally gonna get to do it?” Sprig’s spirits all too quickly gained a boost of enthusiasm at the mere thought.

“Mmmmmmhmmmmmmmmm. And not just with me! You get to do it with both of us!” Ivy gestured towards Maddie with a wink, who sported her wicked grin once again.

“H-Huh?! A-Are you serious?!” Sprig gasped, blinking twice to ensure he wasn’t dreaming.

“Well, life’s full of twists, Sprig,” Maddie cheered. “but all I care about right now is getting to taste those sweet lips of yours!”

The pink frog took another moment just to get the situation properly processed. He could be able to mate with Ivy _and_ Maddie after they just tried to fight so that only one of them could get the honor, and he didn’t even have to sacrifice a single thing to get here?!

…...You know what? Screw it. If the stars aligned to grant him the opportunity to live the dream, who was he to fight against it? But then he thought to himself, ‘Let’s have a little fun with this’ with an internal smirk. And with that, he proceeded to place his hands on his hips and let out an all too cocky smile.

“Well, alright ladies. Who here’s ready to get daddyized by the baby Plantar?” he mused in a suave accent, to which both Ivy and Maddie just had to laugh their butts off, causing Sprig’s confident demeanor to diminish. “Awww, c’mon,” he groaned, “That couldn’t have been that bad… Could it?”

“Sprig, I love you, but,” Ivy started before suppressing a cackle, “no. Just...no.”

Even so, the young Plantar didn’t let the shame get too him that long, as he simply shrugged and said: “Ah, well, ya can’t blame a guy for trying.” He then took a few steps back, gained a running stance, and shouted “CANNONBALL!” before running and jumping straight into the pool, creating a giant splash of mineral water to come flying out and drenching him and the two girls from head to toe.

“HAH! That was weaksauce,” Ivy taunted, before backing up just like Sprig did and then proceeding to perform her own running start along with her own yelling of “CANNONBALL!” as she leapt into the air and landed right between him and Maddie, causing them both to be coated once more, as Ivy emerged while spitting out whatever water got into her mouth.

“Awww, no fair!” Sprig kiddingly complained. “You’ve got more practice than I do!”

“Yeah, well, it all comes with practice,” Ivy retorted, socking him in the arm and chuckling. But then they turned their heads to Maddie, who by that point had her wet covering the eye that wasn’t naturally concealed by her hair, and a not so amused frown spread upon her face.

“You’re lucky I’ve wanted to do this since forever, Sprig,” she muttered, wiping away the bangs over her left eye.

“Oh, uh, hehe. Sorry about that,” Sprig said in embarrassment, to which she only shook her head and smiled again, as she as well as Ivy then made their way to the side of the pool opposite of Sprig, where they both arched over it making sure to leave their rears in full view of his watchful eyes. And the pink frog was only a little flustered to admit that the sight of two ladies giving him quite the show made him more than a little...zealous.

“So, the moment of truth, stud muffin,” Ivy teased. “Who you gonna pounce on first?”

“Hmmm…… Well, well, well, this is quite the choice you girls have given me,” Sprig thought out loud, putting his hand to his chin. “But I think I know what to do. And this is a test that’s older than time itself.” And with a deep breath and both girls eagerly awaiting his decision, he simply pointed his finger towards one of them, and started to sing: “Eeney, meeny, miney, mo, catch a buttertiger by the toe, if it hollers let him go-” All the while, Ivy and Maddie could hardly contain their laughter from such an ingenious yet utterly childlike method of choosing. “My Hop Pop told me to choose the very best one and it. Is. Y. O. You!”

And at the end of his little nursery rhyme, he found his finger pointing straight towards his favorite frog magician, who looked backed and gasped in glee before instinctively clapping to herself and letting loose an overeager giggle.

“Ahhhh, nuts to that,” Ivy jokingly scolded, giving a pouty look towards Sprig. “What, am I just not good enough for you?”

“What can I say? The fingers knows,” he answered with a wink. “Besides, we _did_ cannonball her hair into oblivion. Twice. I think she earned first dibs, wouldn’t you say?”

Ivy almost thought to retort to that, but found herself being unable to, for she was tempted to agree with his sentiments. But that was neither here nor there, for all he cared about from that point onward was finally putting the wiles of mating season to rest, satisfying his primal urges in the only way fitting of a young adult such as him. And all the while, it was more than evident that Maddie herself was sharing the exact same desires and sentiments, given how the whole time Sprig made her way towards, up to the point where he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought himself closer to where his face lay dormant right over his chin, she could do little more than to savor every single nanosecond of it all, before turning around to wrap her arms around him in return and locking her lips right into his. And then, Maddie could little more than to let herself be consumed by her primal urges, as she let her desires and feelings of love and lust gain free reign over her body, letting her wild side loose on a day like no other. After waiting so long for this very moment, there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would let it go to waste.

Maddie gripped onto the skin on Sprig’s back, as she pushed herself into their kiss even further than before, ravenously devouring every inch of his tongue as well as whatever space she could reach upon the walls of his mouth. Sprig himself was quite taken aback by her metaphorically voracious appetite for him, but truth be told, he himself was gaining a healthy dose of mating season hormones himself, so he paid little to no mind to her out of character behavior. Instead, he simply leaned back and let his partner take the reins this time. Mostly because he figured that trying to dominate her when she was acting the way she was presently would be nothing short of suicide.

Eventually, the two had to break off their kiss in order to catch their breath, but it didn’t take long for Maddie to begin grinding her pelvis right up to Sprig’s leg and torso, with her panting and blushing heavily the entire time. And Sprig was only a little embarrassed to admit that seeing her in such a perverted state made him a bit more than a little aroused, as he returned the favor by matching the movement the magician was making, as their bodies entered a perfect sync of dry humping and rapid breathing. As the water rippled all around them, Ivy watched the spectacle with envy and arousal, for she too wanted nothing more than to be handled by the kind hearted pink frog she fell in love with many, many months ago. But even so, she resisted, for she knew that their time would come soon.

Once the muscles of their hips grew numb from their constant grinding into one another, Sprig and Maddie slowed down to a standstill, as they then stared deeply into each other’s eyes, almost hoping that this moment would last until the sun exploded.

“S-Sprig…” Maddie whispered, “Are… Are you ready?”

“Yeah…” Sprig gasped, “I… I am.”

All but a single tear of joy slithered down Maddie’s faced, as she closed her eyes and proceeded with the final step of their mating. With a deep breath, the magician performed the miracle of life right there in that pool, and released her eggs right into the middle of them, all while clutching onto Sprig’s upper body tight. The eggs trickled all along his legs, and Sprig, while suppressing the urge to giggle at the ticklish feeling that came with his future children crawling all over his skin and onto the floor of the pool, proceeded to close his eyes in return, and after that, he secreted his sperm right onto them, giving them the fertilization they needed to blossom into strong and healthy tadpoles. And when it was over, the two lovers opened their eyes and peered into each other’s very souls.

“Th-Thank you, Sprig…” Maddie bashfully said, blushing as red as a cherry tomato over what had just transpired. Even though it was all completely natural to any frog, she still hadn’t gotten completely over her inhibitions to not feel embarrassed by the prospect of laying her eggs in front of another. But if it was Sprig, the mere thought that her first time was with somebody who made her feel warm and beloved made the self inflicted shame quite a bit more bearable.

Sprig, on the other hand, was still trying to process everything that had transpired between them. He had never thought in a million years that Maddie would be the girl he’d have his first time with, and certainly not with his crush sitting right beside them. Yet even so, while he was more than satisfied and filled to the brim with physical and emotional exhaustion from their session, something about it seemed the teensiest bit strange to the boy, yet he didn’t know exactly what it was.

“You’re...you’re welcome…” he managed to breathe out regardless.

“Heh, don’t forget about me,” Ivy spoke softly, placing her hand on his shoulder while gazing into his loving eyes.

“I never will,” He smiled, before placing a soft kiss upon Maddie’s cheek and turning, pushing Ivy against the opposing wall of the pool. “Ready?”

“Always,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him as she did so, before closing her eyes. Just like Maddie before her, she pushed, releasing her eggs into the pool as Sprig giggled slightly. “They’re so slimy.”

Ivy couldn’t help, but give a chuckle as well. “Makes it all the easier,” Before poking his nose.

Sprig blushed in embarrassment, before leaning forward, a bright smile on his face as he released, coating her eggs in the liquid that would too bring her children up to blossom and grow. “Thanks Ivy.”

“No Sprig,” She whispered, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”

With that, he fell back, resting on the pool’s wall, as maddie came to his side.

After everything that had happened so far, all the pain and suffering- the danger and indecision they had endured, they had finally fulfilled what they desired.

“But...but was that it?” Sprig whispered.

“Hmm? What are you talking about?” Maddie purred, nuzzling into his chest.

“W-Well, I mean… Don’t you think we...I dunno, missed something?”

Maddie pulled back and cocked her head to one side in confusion. Yet before she could say a thing about it, all of a sudden, Ivy submerged into the pool and resurfaced right in between them.

“Ah, it’s probably just your nerves, Sprig.” she reassured, before gripping his shoulders in anticipation. “Now, c’mon! Let’s keep going!”

But before she could pull in to steal yet another kiss from him, Sprig held up his hands almost as a reflex, and she ended up smooching his palms. “Wait a second!” he pleaded. “Something’s not right here.”

Growing more than a little impatient, the tomboyish frog responded with: “Oh, don’t be like that. What could possibly be wrong with you expressing your love for us?”

“N-Nothing! Oh, gosh, nothing at all!” Sprig raised his hands right up to his eyes, eager to dispel such a theory. “I-I was simply thinking that… Don’t you guys think that that was just a tad bit...short? I-I don’t think we skipped any of the steps, but after everything we went through to get here…that was all it was?”

“Hmph. Well I thought it was lovely,” Maddie huffed, starting to grow a bit of distaste for the atmosphere, albeit a much more mellow dose than what Ivy was feeling.

“Well, what in Amphibia were you expecting? Some grandiose light show with a whole load of fireworks to blast all around you?” she asked.

“No, of course not,” he defended. “It’s just that...Anne kind of made it sound like it was gonna be a whole lot more fun..”

That last comment in particular was enough to have Ivy raise an eyebrow. “Huh? What does Anne have to do with frog mating? She doesn’t even belong here, y’know.”

“Mmm, oh yeaahhh, that’s-”

Right then, Sprig’s eyes widened in realization. He now knew of a way where he could make this night of bliss even better! And so, with conviction in his heart, he jumped right out of the pool and asked of the pink haired magician: “Maddie! Do you have any spells that can transform our bodies in some way??”

“Your human friend turned into a bird, didn’t she?” she replied, taken aback quite a bit from his energetic display.

“Great! Get one of those ready and I’ll be right back!” he said, before turning around towards the door, only to sense a gaze that would pierce right through his skull given the chance, as he promptly turned around to see Ivy staring a deathly glare right towards him, and he could almost swear that her eyes grew glowing the slightest tint of red.

“You’re not really gonna just leave me with nothing after you just mated with Maddie, are you?!” Ivy scowled. And Sprig, fearing every chance for him to live to tell the tale of tonight being lost, immediately ran up to her and clutched her hands tight.

“No, no! Of course not!” he ensured. “I only want to try something really awesome! Trust me, it’s gonna make this night a total blast!”

Feeling her rage simmer down marginally, but not completely, Ivy took a deep breath and said: “Look, I just think you’re overthinking this just a little. Even if our mating doesn’t last very long, I don’t really mind it-”

“Well I do!” Sprig interrupted, causing her to jump back a bit in her spot. “Ivy, I love you with all my heart, and if there’s a chance that our first time can be made a bajillion times better, then I want to take it. I won’t settle for anything less for someone as amazing as you.”

By then, Ivy felt her anger diminish more and more. “Sprig… It’s okay… You don’t have to go that far just for me…”

“I know I don’t, but I _want_ to,” Sprig insisted, before leaning and pecking her on the cheek, eliciting a blush from the tomboy. “I just hope that you trust me on this, please.”

Ivy was then left in an episode of silence, as she looked down to the side. Was this really worth all this trouble, just for the hope that tonight would be more enjoyable than it already was. After waiting so long for this day to come, it felt a bit discomforting for Sprig to want to change their plans so potentially drastically. However, taking a deep look into Sprig’s eyes, she could see nothing for ambition and devotion, all directed at her and her happiness. He always did care so much about every friend he ever made, and that went quadruple for her. Seeing him in willing to go all out just for making her feel fantastic just for one night reminded her of why she fell for him in the first place.

“.....Alright, I trust you,” she said, her disdain completely gone and a warm smile radiating across her face.

“Oh, thank you! You both won’t regret this!” he cheered before turning to head out the door, scampering up the stairs. The girls then heard another door slam shut above them, as they turned to each other with bewildered curiosity.

“So……... “ Maddie awkwardly said, “you like...books?”

“Only adventure ones…” Ivy just as awkwardly replied, rubbing her arm. Having such a casual conversation right in the room where you’re supposed to mate does indeed make for one hell of an...interesting scenario to say the least. ‘_Please get back soon, Sprig!’ _

* * *

Bursting through the front door, amidst the heavy breathing of his poor lungs from evading the angry mob that was _still_ rampant throughout the town, Sprig made his way inside and started scanning the room, only to find Polly tending to something covered with a blanket on the couch.

“Hey, Polly! Do you-” he greeted, only to wince at the tadpole turning around and shushing him almost like a snake would hiss at its prey.

“What are you doing, you maniac?!” Polly quietly screeched. “Can’t you see that Anne’s trying to sleep?”

“Huh?” Sprig said, before looking over Polly to see her dozed off without a care in the world, as well as a mountain of bloody pieces of cotton draped all around the living room table. “Ohhhh….. I take you’ve been busy then…”

“Yeah, no kidding. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was to get her to stop spewing out that red blood from that...vagina of hers,” she grimaced, still not entirely used to saying that. “But wait a minute. What are you doing back here anyways? I thought you were getting it on with Ivy.”

“Well, eheheh, first off, it’s Ivy _and_ Maddie now.”

Polly blinked. “Wait, really? Is...is that even allowed?”

“Ahh, even if it did, are the great founders of our world really gonna come back to life and smite us for such an atrocity,” Sprig snarked, suppressing a giggle.

“Hehe, funny,” Polly giggled in return. “But still, why are you here and not with them? Don’t tell me it’s already over.”

“Oh, well, here’s the thing,” Sprig mentioned before gesturing towards the mound of bloody makeshift tampons. “I’m gonna need one of those things, if ya don’t mind.”

Turning to what he was referring to, the tadpole couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “The tampons? What could you possibly want with those things?”

“Oh, no reason. Just gonna use it to help with one of Maddie’s spells so that we all can alter our bodies so that we can make mating super fun just like it is with humans!”

Once again, Polly just had to take a moment to blink, even more so that time. “...How could you say that like it was a completely normal sentence?”

“Eh, beats me,” Sprig shrugged, already reaching for the one closest to him and snatching it. “Well, thanks, lil’ sis! See ya!”

“Wait, wait,” Polly intervened, grinding Sprig to a halt. “So let me get this straight. You wanna take one of Maddie’s magic bag grenade thingies and basically turn yourselves into discount Annes?”

“Well, that’s basically the gist of it, yeah. Why, you don’t think that’s possible?”

“Oh, heck no,” she laughed. “I’ve seen the crazy stuff that girl can do. But let me ask you this, do you know _anything_ about how humans mate? Like...at all??”

Sprig opened his mouth to respond, but that was when he realized that there wasn’t a thing that could come out, and so he was left in silence as Polly nodded.

“Exactly. Sprig, if you go in there and just grant yourselves new body parts, you guys are gonna be flailing around like loonies and none of you are gonna get anywhere, all because you don’t know a single thing about being a human!”

“Oh, geez…” Sprig conceded. When she put it like that, this idea did seem a bit half baked. “I guess I sorta-”

“Ap bup bup, I’m not finished just yet,” Polly interrupted, sprouting a subconscious smirk and placing her hand onto her brother’s lips. “I said that _you_ don’t know a thing about mating as a human. But I do.”

“Huh?” Sprig muttered.

“What, did you think Anne and I were just twiddling our thumbs while you were gone? Sprig, I’ve gotten to know many, many deep and intimate secrets about that girl and her kind. She told me tons of stuff about “sex positions”, “pleasure points”, the works!” That was when Polly leaned up to Sprig’s ear and whispered: “And all of those secrets could be yours...for a small price.”

At the end of her, well, there’s no way around it, bribery tirade, Sprig simply let out a deep and elongated sigh. “Okay. What do you want?”

“A full pass from every single one of Hop Pop’s chores for the rest of the month, including excuses and labor supplied by you, aaaaaaand half the rations from all of your meals!”

“WHAT?!” Sprig screamed out of reflex before slapping his mouth shut after seeing Anne squirm around in her sleep. “Are you nuts? There’s no way I’m gonna do that!”

“Heh. Then I guess you’re gonna have to go in there a flopping fish out of water, am I right,” Polly teased before merrily hopping away. Sprig almost chased after her, but then she looked back at Anne sleeping peacefully beside them, and that was when a devilish thought ran through his mind, as he thought up a foul yet brilliant plan.

“I’d get my tail right back here Polly,” he said with a smirk of his own.

“Oh, really?” Polly turned around, if only to humor him. “And why’s that?” But right then, her confidence blinked away as her expression turned to one of shock and sheer terror, as she laid eyes on Sprig taking a deep breath right near Anne’s ear, as she made a mad dash up to him and flailed her arms around. “What are you thinking?!”

“Ah, nothing. I’m just proposing a deal of my own. You tell me whatcha know about humans and how they mate, and I’ll ensure that you don’t have to go back to being a nanny for Anne again.”

Polly’s breath fell into the pit of her stomach. She genuinely didn’t know whether to feel proud or outright mortified of her own brother for pulling such an underhanded trick. But there was one thing she wholeheartedly knew: she would do absolutely _anything_ not to have to clean up all of her blood and survive her mood swings again!

“Okay, okay, you win! I’ll tell you everything I know! Just please don’t wake her up! Please!!!” Polly begged, clasping her arms together and trying to suppress the urge to shed a tear. On the inside, Sprig couldn’t help but feel terribly guilty for having to use his best human friend like that, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And now, the perfect night was that much closer within his grasp.

But there was no time to dwell on such matters now. For now that he gained the final pieces to the puzzle, he could claim his most glittering prize: the night of his dreams!

* * *

With great resolve, Sprig pushed open the stone door of the pool room with great force, as he sprung inside, waving around his arms. “I’m back! I’m back, I’m back, I-” he cried before stopping dead in his tracks, as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing before him. In the pool sat Ivy and Maddie, inches away from each other’s heads with their lips simply itching to be interlocked with each other.

“Uuhhhhh……” he breathed, “I take it this is a bad time…? I-I can always come back in a few minutes if you-”

“No! Nononononono,” Ivy stammered,pushing away from Maddie, much to her dismay, “it’s okay, it’s okay. We were just trying to…break the awkwardness...I think.” In hindsight, that wasn’t the most airtight explanation, but what can ya do?

“Riiiiiiight,” Sprig answered while darting his eyes side to side, not even daring to question either of them further. “Well, uh, in any case, I got the goods!”

“O-Oh! A-And I’ve got the sack all ready,” the magician stammered as she raised one of her signature magic bags in her hand, still a little bit unnerved from having been caught mid makeout session. “You must really be serious about this.”

“You bet I am!” Sprig proudly proclaimed. “But between you and me, if I go back on this now, I’m in for a looooooong period of awkwardness between me and Polly.”

In the midst of the girls’ laugh at his joke, Sprig found the opportunity to join them in the pool. “So how exactly are we gonna do this, spoopy?”

“Well, first things first. Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure you wanna go through with this?” she warned. “Magic is nothing you’d want to mess with, and if used so frivolously, the consequences could potentially be-”

“Oh, don’t worry, Mad Mad,” Sprig interrupted with a smile. “Even if there’s all that responsibility mumbo jumbo to worry about, if there’s anyone I trust with this sort of thing, it’s you.”

Maddie couldn’t help but blush more than a little from both ends of her lips. “O-Okay then… Well, the first thing you should know is that I took the liberty of dampening the spell so that we only really gain a frog like version of human reproductive organs. I don’t know about any of you guys, but I for one don’t want to have mutated legs in something as special as this.”

“Haha! You and me both,” Sprig laughed.

“Well...maybe it would be kinda-” Ivy began, only to stop once she saw both of her companions eyeing her with a suspicious look. “Okay, no.”

“......_ahem_ Aside from that, there’s only one thing I need to say. No matter what happens, do NOT let your whole body fall into the water! You can only have your bottom half and your bottom half _only_,” she went on with strict warning. “.....Now, Sprig, please give me the essence of the human,” the blue frog instructed with her extending out her hand, prompting Sprig to reach into his pocket and pull out the blood soaked tampon, and placing it within her palm. Taking it for her own, she grasped it from both ends, held it over her magic bag, and squeezed the excess blood from its cotton fabric right into her concoction’s contents. Afterwards, a plume of smoke burst out from the brown bag, as a bright pink aura began to radiate from it, causing both Sprig and Ivy to stare at her handiwork in sheer awe and wonder.

“Woooaaahhh…. So, what happens now?”

“Now?” Maddie said. And instead of speaking further, she simply leaned forward and dropped the bag straight into the dead center of the pool. The trio watched as the bag floated upon impact for the briefest of moments, before steadily sinking centimeter by centimeter. And once the tightly wrapped opening began to dip itself right under the surface, the shadow in which the bag produced began to glow just as hotly pink as the aura it once radiated. And before any of them knew it, they soon found themselves with an entire patch of water completely engulfed by pink liquid. From there, the magic fluid began to spread slowly from it’s little claim, as it spread its borders to the three lovers who all stood perfectly still at the pool’s edge, each having differing reactions to the phenomenon happening right before them.

Maddie’s was one of prepared confidence. Working in the dark arcane arts for almost half of her life can often turn one indifferent towards magics anyone else would be terrified at even the mere thought of. And if her memory served her well and her knowledge hadn’t failed her, she’d made the potion she needed to fit their needs to a T. Sprig was on the more ecstatic side of the emotional coin. Of course, he was already anticipating the opportunity to be able to bolster their errotic pleasure within their mating, but after hearing about all of the techniques Polly had learned from Anne and her stories, oh that just made him all too eager and anxious to get the party started. Ivy, to even her surprise, felt a tinge of fear coarse through her mind as the pink liquid inched closer and closer. The little adventurer may have been into some dangerous stunts, but even she had more than a little concern over the prospect of forcefully altering her own body. Yet even so, she tried her very best to keep those trepidations reigned in, not only because of her pride as a risk taker, but also for the fact that seeing the look of sheer excitement on Sprig’s grin was more than enough to dissuade her from daring to make him sad for her sake.

Unfortunately, the magic spell couldn’t care less what any of them thought, as it finally started to inch its way closer and closer to the edges of the tub, as all three of the frogs began to feel a tingling feeling overwhelm them within their netherregions. And once the pink water engulfed every single inch it could reach, that feeling boosted itself within all of them, as they could feel their legs suddenly tremble underneath their own weight, as they hastily grabbed the edge behind them in a desperate attempt to quickly support themselves.

“I-Is this s-supposed to ha-ha-happen?!” Sprig stammered, feeling his legs tremble more and more violently.

“I-I thought it would hurt more, but y-yes! Just be sure not to f-fall in!” Maddie replied, her hands almost slipping from their grip. But before Sprig could focus on keeping himself balanced, he sensed something coming from Ivy right next to him, and to his horror, he found her eyes clenched and tears almost seeming to form in the corners of them. Knowing that he absolutely could not let this stand, he reached over to Ivy’s hand and gripped it tight, causing her to pry open at least one of her eyelids and turn towards him.

“D-Don’t worry,” Sprig assured once they made eye contact. “W-We’ll get through this, I-I swear.”

Truth be told, Ivy wasn’t entirely mollified, but seeing her best friend turned boyfriend doing everything he could in their endeavor to keep her at ease certainly didn’t hurt one bit. They could feel their legs twist and turn in ways they had never seen before. Ivy and Maddie felt their hips expand ever so slightly as a familiar opening formed between their legs.

Sprig on the other hand felt a certain appendage push out from his crotch. _“Guide dang it Polly! I really wish you had told me more about this stuff!”_ Yet, eventually, the moment passed and the trio were left with their new appendages.

Slowly, Sprig glanced down, allowing a small, magenta member to come into view. “D-did it work?”

In reply, Ivy looked down, allowing her own slit to come into view. “I-I think it did.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Maddie swam over. “So, uhh… how do we use these things?”

“Hmm…. Well, from what Polly told me,” Sprig mused, wobbling around his flaccid new body part, “I think this thing is supposed to be a whole lot longer.” He then peered down once more to see that a pair of balls had formed right under his newfound member. Curious at this sight, he took his hand and cupped it around them “Wait...what if these are some sort of switch?” And in a moment of scientific genius, he thought to give them a tight squeeze.

….Only to howl out in sheer agony as the girls turned towards him in horror.

“Whatever you do, do not squeeze the balls…” Sprig meakley squeaked, clutching his crotch in pain. “Why would you make those things hurt so much?!”

“I-I don’t know!” Maddie retorted. “I only worked with what you gave me!”

“I really wish Polly had told me about these!” He held himself, only for Ivy to come over and pull him close. “There, there, come on, Sprig, you’ll be alright.”

“Th-Thanks, Ive,” he warmly said. “I just wish I knew how to make this pain go away.”

Ivy took a gander down and, with curiosity overtaking her, grasped one of his hands and pulled them away from his artificial scrotum. “What if I…”

“W-Wait! What are you-” Sprig began before falling completely mute at the sensation of Ivy giving his balls a gentle massage. The sensation was one in which he had never felt in his entire life; it was like being cradled by an army of angels while being tickled in his unspeakable nether regions, only without the begging for mercy, but rather begging for more. Yet before she went further, she shot back after she took notice to the awestruck look on Sprig’s face.

  
“O-Oh no! Sprig, are you okay?!” she cried, mortified she may have made a mistake.

“N-No!” he shouted back louder than he’d hoped to. “P-Please...do that again…”

“Are...are you sure?”

“Yes, please.”

With more than a little reluctance, Ivy reached back down and took hold of his testicles once more, albeit with much more hesitation to give them more than a single grasp. Yet as she did so, she couldn’t help but overhear the faintest of moans emanate from her best friend turned lover’s lips, and from there is occured to her that she must have been doing at least one thing right in her salacious endeavors. From there, she dared to take it a step further by continuing her massage from earlier, taking extra care to tenderly and gently rub them in the palm of her hand, and relishing in the way Sprig couldn’t suppress a blush at the sensation of his body parts being handled with such luxurious care. And in his bliss, he couldn’t even notice how his flaccid member was starting to grow right before his and Ivy’s eyes, something she took notice of quickly.

“Sprig! I think it’s working!” she exclaimed, prompting Sprig to somewhat snap out of his personal Nirvana to have a look at her handiwork. And the moment he saw how his dick grew almost three times what it was before, he could hardly believe his own senses. “Wait...did you do that?”

“I think so…” Ivy peered around it from all directions, staring as if she was entranced. “Wow, it...uh...hehehehehe.”

“Uhhh, Ive? Are you alright?”

“Oh, yeah, I...I just feel...I feel like I wanna just…” Those were the last words she could speak before an other-worldly instinct took hold of her, as she felt herself subcounsciously lick her lips and approach the ever growing member with almost animalistic hunger and overpowering lust. And before even she knew what she was doing, she found the tip of her tongue flicking against his manhood as if it were a slime covered cricket lollipop. Sprig gripped the edges of the pool in sheer pleasure, instinctively biting his lip as he felt his senses start to fade away from him.

“I-I-Ivy… How are you d-doing this?” But Ivy didn’t even acknowledge his query, as she was too focused on the large and hard shaft that was all but waiting for her to sink her teeth into. And so she started to swerve her head around the artificial member, making sure to coat every inch she could get her hands on with her saliva. This only served to bolster the raw pleasure coursing through Sprig’s body even further, as he felt his arms and legs turn to jelly to a point where he thought he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from sliding crotch first into the water.

All the while, Maddie could do no more than watch her companions do with each other as they wished. And as she peered at Ivy’s animalistic instincts taking over her body, the magical frog felt an alien tingle emanate from her own humanlike clit, almost as if watching them go at each other was producing some sort of reaction within her own body, something she wasn’t familiar with, yet didn’t even care to question. Yet even so, the tingling she was feeling slowly but surely grew and grew into more of a burning sensation, one in which Maddie couldn’t help but try to soothe. To that end, she reached down and began to rub her vagina, involuntarily gasping the moment she made contact, as she slid her digits at a snail’s pace, the only thing stopping her from going faster being her own inhibitions.

But all that changed when she spied the tomboy lapping away at her crush’s member all too suddenly take its length into her mouth, causing her to gasp once more as one of her fingers accidentally slipped right into her opening, causing her nerves to be shot through with adrenaline as she looked back down at her own hands with lust, her previous fears fading away. She found herself becoming entranced at the sensation, as she instinctively started to draw her digits out of her and then thrust them back in, letting loose an ample amount of pleasurable moans in the process.

Back towards Ivy, she found herself pushing her head back and forth as she slurped hungrily along the now completely hard as a rock cock. She could only describe the sensation as tasting a cricket fudgesicle except twenty times as delicious and without the horrific calorie intake that comes from eating them every other day. She didn’t even need to know what she was doing specifically to know that the sheer joy and cross eyed pleasure coming from the lucky male could only mean she was doing _something_ right. That was when she began to feel the member begin to twitch inside her mouth, as she let out an inquisitive murmur towards Sprig, who she now started to notice had his eyes clenched and his lower lip on the verge of being torn apart by his own teeth.

“I-Ivy! I think something’s ha-ha-happening!” Sprig sputtered out. Even if Ivy wasn’t an expert on human anatomy, she could tell that Sprig was in some sort of state that was right in between immeasurable pleasure and insufferable pain; and she actually had an idea on how to push him over the edge while also adding in a little challenge for herself. And so, looking up towards Sprig, she gave him the slyest of winks and plunged herself full force down the entire length of his girth, the tip hitting the back of her throat and all. And just then, Sprig could hold back no more; he let out a satisfied moan, gripped the back of Ivy’s head and released whatever was held up inside of him mercilessly into her mouth. Pulse after pulse, the member shot its load in bursts, and the pain of being pent up withered away more and more, until eventually, Sprig found himself unable to stand properly as he slid down into the water, his back scraping against the wooden edges as he felt his eyes try to roll back into his head in pure ecstasy. After holding herself against him for a few more seconds, Ivy reeled back and popped Sprig’s penis out of her, failing to suppress the urge to cough.

“Phewww,” Ivy sighed. “Well that sure was something. How are you feeling, Sprig?”

“Like...like I uh….” Sprig sputtered, who if he didn’t know any better could swear his eyes were nothing more than swirls, “like I went to frog heaven.” But suddenly, he realized a very pertinent detail. “W-Wait! What about that...that, _whatever _it was that came out of me!?” He then darted his head towards Ivy. “Y-You’re not poisoned, are you?!”

“I don’t think so…” Ivy replied, smacking her lips. “Hmmm…. That kinda tasted...salty. Maybe with a hint of nutmeg and a dash of bitterness on the side? …..Still better than what you guys make at the potluck every year.”

“Heeeey! …...Actually, yeah you’re probably right.” The two then shared a light hearted chuckle before they both heard gasps and moans coming straight from Maddie, whom they both swam towards posthaste.

“Maddie…? Are you feeling okay?” Sprig asked, but the magician did not reply, for she was too mesmerized by what she was doing. Taking notice of her arms and how they were shifting every which way, Sprig submerged to see her hands swift at work digging in out of her hole. That was when his otherworldly instinct took hold of him once again, as he felt his hand gravitate to her vagina, before taking two of his fingers and lightly pinching the small nub at the very top. But then, just as quickly as it appeared, his instinct left him almost the nanosecond he heard a sharp yelp coming right above him, upon which he rose up straight as a jackknife.

“O-Oh my gosh! Did that hurt you?! I’m so sorry, I sh-shouldn’t have-”

“NO!” Maddie quietly screamed, trying her damndest to not scare her companion. “I-I mean...could you do that again?”

“I… Did...did that feel alright?” he worriedly asked, eliciting a small yet very noticeable nod to come from her. “Umm...okay…” Sprig then submerged once again as he took another look at Maddie’s clit. What was interesting to note this time around was that it was near close to throbbing, almost as if it was dancing to an erratic beat of a song. Feeling his hormones take hold of him once more, he felt his hand gravitate towards the pulsating pink nub as he swirled his finger to feel every corner around it. All the while, Maddie was sent into a hypnotic state of pleasure as she felt her breathing slowly but surely degrade into a series of short lived gasps for air to which she didn’t even have a use for at that moment. Looking down to see Sprig eagerly yet cautiously playing with her womanhood sent chills down her spine, as her hands started to float their way towards the back of Sprig’s head, and before even she knew what she was doing, she shoved him right into her, her gasps exacerbating in effect the moment his mouth came into contact with her folds.

The poor boy never saw the maneuver coming, but any sense of confusion he obtained soon faded into evanescent obscurity the moment he took a healthy whiff of the aroma radiating from Maddie’s delicate flower; a scent that drove Sprig’s primal urges through the roof, until he found himself unable to resist himself any longer, as he delved deep into her womanhood, his tongue and teeth bared, and began to feast away at the pulsating pussy, his taste buds savoring every single droplet of juice that leaked out as well as all of the exotic yet enticing flavors from within. And as he kept on lapping away, Sprig could feel his member twitch and pulse, simply begging to get some more action, its precum already leaking out of its tip. Fortunately, it didn’t have to wait long at all, for after a couple minutes of feasting away at the now glistening flower, Maddie double tapped the back of Sprig’s head, prompting him to rise himself up from the water where he looked at her, flinching the tiniest bit when he saw just how much of an emotional wreck she was in.

“I-I-I can’t take it!” she stammered, her eyes jittering all around, taking in every inch of her surroundings. “I-It’s tingling so much! P-Please! I’m begging you! Take me! Make me yours!”

As those words passed through his ears, Sprig could feel a large number of his brain cells urging him to restrain himself out of fear of traumatizing her. And yet, there were also equally as many telling him to go to town on her. Ultimately, the enticement of her overwhelming aroma, as well as the hormonal torrent that came with the season was enough to completely push any doubts he had left out the window, as he grabbed hold of his now rock hard shaft as he aligned it with her pussy, as he slowly but surely guided it in. Inch by inch, Sprig could feel her walls tightly clench around him more and more, causing him to start breathing in shorter gasps the further he ventured. But then he reached a peculiar sort of barrier within her, which he couldn’t exactly break through with mere prodding. The tiniest part of his mind thought to ask if this was alright, but at that point it was truly beyond question. And with resolve, he took a few inches back out before thrusting himself at full force, shattering the barrier and causing Maddie to both wince in pain and shudder in unparalleled pleasure. From there, both of their animalistic desires exploded into full force, as they were simply able to figure out what to do from there, almost as if it were a newfound instinct of theirs.

The magenta frog then pulled himself out, shuddering in pleasure as the chills of the pool’s water clashed with the warmth of Maddie’s cave, before thrusting right back in the whole way, her walls grinding his member along its path. Absolutely not content with that one gesture, Sprig pulled out once more, a bit further this time, before pushing forward again with gusto. Before even half a minute had passed, he managed to work himself into a pattern of pulling and thrusting. Pulling and thrusting, pulling and thrusting again and again, all while Sprig could every part of his body except his member begin to grow numb and his eyes try to roll themselves into the back of his head. His entire nervous system felt like it was being tickled by a company of angels, and all of his thoughts started to become laser focused on the sheer amount of sexual pleasure he was being bombarded with all at once. He then felt his pelvis begin to figuratively move on its own, as his pace began to grow exponentially in speed, and the force in which he thrusted himself grew along with it, causing ripples to sprout in the water around them. And with every movement he made, Sprig could feel a series of animalistic grunts start to escape from his lips, right alongside Maddie’s pants of exhaustion and pleasure. The two could’ve sworn they saw the puffs of air that radiated from them as well as the rate in which they were exhaled out being in perfect sync with one another.

Things continued in their sweaty, hot love making for at least another five minutes, before Sprig could feel his dick begin to twitch once more inside of him.

“Maddie… I think it’s happening again…” Sprig could get out in the middle of his grunts. “What should I….”

The magician then put a finger to his lips, at which point he took into view just how lovestruck he looked, even to the point where he could’ve claimed that her pupils had morphed into the shape of hearts. “D-Do it inside me… Please…” she whispered, before leaning in and locking her lips with his, which is all that he needed to help him reach his climax, as he could feel his member pulse in an erratic fashion, as strings upon strings of his semen were released into her womb. Rope after rope, Sprig could only moan in shameless pleasure into their kiss as he laced his fingers through her hair and let nature take its course, until he just couldn’t spurt out any more of his love juice. When he had finally been drained, Sprig weakly pulled himself out of her centimeter by centimeter, until his appendage released with a pop, as he released their kiss stared down into the water, seeing the white fluid pour out of her.

“You...you think that’s supposed to...ha-happen?” Maddie muttered, not even caring about receiving a response. Sprig was the same, for he was too busy recovering from all of the energy that was expended all in one go to even consider trying to speak. But that was until-

“AMBUSH!!” Ivy excitedly shouted, grabbing Sprig by the waist and twirling him around to the other side of the pool, all while a helpless Sprig could do little more than feel his eyes and brain twirl in confusion amongst themselves.

“You didn’t forget about little ol’ me, did you?” she teased.

“I-Ivy…” he said, “I-I think I’m gonna hurl…” But that was before his eyes widened at what entered his vision after he regained his balance: a bright yellow, glistening vagina that was soaking with its own fluids, eagerly waiting for a host to sate its desires. At that point, Sprig could feel his tiredness fade away, as he felt a surge of blood run straight into his previously deflated penis, causing it to grow once again back into its rock hard state. “Whoa… That’s impressive.”

“Hey, some frogs want what they want,” Ivy winked, before looking towards the dick with a ravenous and eager look in her eyes. “And right now, _I_ know what I _need_.” She then grabbed him by the neck, straddled herself so that her legs wrapped around his back and her weight was being entirely supported by his, and her rear end was positioned right above the member, which just couldn’t help but leak even more precum from being positioned in such an enticing spot.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this, Sprig,” she went on. “I may not have envisioned it going like this, but all I know is right now, you’re mine.” Letting a mischievous giggle, she took the liberty of grasping his rod and pushing it so that it aligned perfectly with her flower, it brushing ever so lightly against it as it passed under her, causing her to shudder in pleasure and anticipation. “So...are you ready for the ride of your life?”

Sprig now felt invigorated and energized from such a display, as he looked at his member’s tip now resting at Ivy’s utterly soaking yellow pussy with it calling out to him, if it could, to cut the nonsense and get to work already.

“Well, even if I wanted to say no, you’d probably end me, so let’s do it!” Sprig cheered, and with the widest of smiles, Ivy straight up launched herself downwards straight onto him, as Sprig could feel him punching clean through her own barrier, not even so much as batting an eye at the pain it caused her. After everything she’s battled and hunted for in the forest as well as frog knows where, this was just a tiny pinch. Sprig on the other hand felt utterly squished by Ivy’s tremendous use of force, but not so much so that he could be snapped out of his pleasure induced euphoria. Yet before he even had time to register what was happening, he could feel Ivy lift herself off of him, before slamming down again, this time only the slightest bit less gusto than before, and it even came with a tiny moan than sprouted from the tomboy. She then lifted herself up and dropped down again, his body relishing in the clashing temperatures that his lower body was feeling.

But he certainly wasn’t content with letting her do all the work, and so Sprig reached around and clenched her buttocks tight, as she couldn’t help but gasp as she saw Sprig with an emboldened gaze. He then thrusted himself upward, causing her to bounce up before landing back at his pelvis, to which Ivy happily replied with her thrusting into him faster than before. If he wanted a tussle of dominance, then that’s exactly what she was gonna give in. That was when they found themselves thrusting into one another in a perfect pattern, their combined efforts causing his rod to plunge deeper within her pussy with every thrust. Sprig and Ivy could feel themselves grow absorbed into their love making, which some could mistaken to be a wrestling match, as they grunted and groaned more and more, their sexes being completely worn out by the other’s might. And eventually, they could take it no more, as both of them inched narrower to their climaxes, both of their hosts could feel like they were on the brim of bursting any moment.

“I-Ivy, it’s about to happen again,” Sprig said as he hastened the speed of his thrusts, Ivy doing the same.

“S-Same here,” Ivy replied, shaking her head and resolving herself from that brief moment of weakness. “So how about we do it together, alright?”

“Yeah-yeah!” Sprig sputtered, to which he could feel like he was about to explode at any second. The two didn’t even need to say when; they both simply knew the other’s time of release. And then, with one final thrust from the both of them, they moaned at the top of their lungs, and released their orgasms right onto each other, Ivy’s juices splashing right onto Sprig’s body, and Sprig gushing out even more jizz straight into her best friend turned lover. Then both could feel their strength fade away from them, as Ivy fell limp right onto Sprig’s tender body, as he could feel himself having to rest against the side of the tub to avoid submerging right into the water. She couldn’t even find the resolve to pull herself out, so nature had to do the work for her with Sprig’s penis deflating for a final time, as she felt herself slipping out of him and drifting right where she floated. Taking a few minutes to catch their breaths, Sprig finally felt like he could at the very least pull himself up and look towards her. “H-How...how did it go for you?” he loudly whispered, as that was all the poor boy could manage to do.

“This...this was the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life…” she confessed, not exaggerating one iota. “Thank you for this, Sprig… For everything.” She then let out a warm smile, leaned in and gave him the tenderest kiss on the cheek she could muster. “I love you.”

“I love you too…” Sprig replied, giving her a soft grin in return, before the two of them turned to see Maddie slouched over the side of the pool, panting as if she’d ran two marathons back to back, her head pointed right at the ceiling, and her eyes clenched shut. “So, uh… You wanna cuddle over there…?” he went on, barely able to maintain consciousness from being drained three times in one session.

“Yeah...yeah, sure that sounds nice…” she agreed, before the two attempted to make their way over to Maddie, but not before Sprig let out “Nope. I’m dead,” before falling forward right into the pool, knocked out cold. Ivy couldn’t help but giggle, as she went back and dragged him with her, resting him right beside her, with Maddie on her other side.

“Heeey. Why do you get to keep him?” Maddie drowsily said.

“Weeeell, we did hook up first, right?” Ivy teased.

“Eehhh, fine,” she relented, causing a pregnant silence to grow between them.

“....So, uhhh, this thing we got here...is this gonna wear off at some point, or...or what?”

Maddie couldn’t help but laugh. “Truth be told, I could’ve whipped up the potion so that it only lasted tonight. Buuuuut, I instead made it so that it’ll last all season~~.”

“Niiiiiiiice…” Ivy drunkenly cheered. “Let’s just hope our eggs don’t hatch in the middle of our session, am I right?”

“Haha. yeah, I’d hate for my little witches’ first magic lesson to be about the magic of birth,” Maddie cackled.

“Well, that’s assuming they don’t take after Sprig and become a bunch of adorable geeks,”

“True, true.” Maddie then sighed, taking Ivy’s hand. “But that’s why we love him.”

“Too right, my girl. Too right.”

And that was all she wrote, the two of them feeling the sandman cast his spell over the both of them, as they were about to join Sprig in being swept away into a deep slumber. That was until Ivy felt her eyes burst open as she shouted in utter shock.

“OH, FROG! I’M GONNA BE A MOM!!”

From EMK46: 25-5-16 20-8-9-19 19-20-15-18-25 4-5-6-9-14-9-20-5-12-25 5-14-4-5-4 16-15-15-18-12-25 19-16-18-9-7

From OU: 1-14-4 20-8-5-25 12-9-22-5-4 8-1-16-16-9-12-25 5-22-5-18-25 1-6-20-5-18… 1-12-19-15, 13-1-10-5-19-20-5-18 9-19 1 7-18-5-1-20 16-5-20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N From Epsilon: Everyone, words cannot describe how sorry I am that it’s taken me this long to bring this chapter to you all. For a time it was because I was a little busy with school and a summer job, but then it was just because I was either too lazy to work on it or I could find the exact right words and I was too much of a perfectionist to know how to just wing it at some parts. Above all, I want to express my deepest gratitude to you guys, and especially to Omega himself, for being so patient with me throughout my horrendous writing habits. I’m still not sure if what I’ve written here is worth this year long wait, but I tried to make it the best I possibly could for all of you, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed this inexcusably belated ending.
> 
> A/N From Omega: I hope you guys enjoyed this! Man, I’m sorry this took so long to come out, but hey! I think it’s been worth it! Until next time! I thank everyone who’s followed, faved and given us support!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N From Omega: And there’s C1! I wrote this one, and will be writing the odd-numbered chapters while Epsilon writes the even-numbered chapters. See ya guys! And don’t worry, normal updates return next week!
> 
> A/N From Epsilon: Yeah, see you- Oh, shoot, it is my turn now, isn’t it? …….Welp, in for a penny, in for a kilogram. Prepare for drama, angst, erotica… and cheeeeeese.


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